This is a disturbing picture of the rest of the season, especially for those of us who are not drawn to The Hundred:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/doubts-grow-over-viability-of-county-competitions-as-clubs-face-difficulty-putting-out-sides-1269618

August was already looking pretty barren, with only four Warwickshire fixtures scheduled but maybe there won't be any? Such a shame. Cue a warm, sunny August.

This is the nonsense that the hundred created.
What the ECB fails to notice, acknowledge or god forbid correct, is that none of the other franchise competitions around the world endangers their own domestic FC or List A competitions.

I’ve even seen the ECB trying to take credit for the Pakistan series win, by saying it’s the culture. No, it’s counties producing world class players, playing in strong competitions.
How can they expect to win the World Cup again, when players won’t even be playing the format.

Worried about September too. Full steam ahead for football? I think not. Dogs dinner of a season created by the ECB. I think in the back of their minds when they came up with the current blocky format they had something like this in mind - the idea that some chunks of the season might get curtailed or not happen at all. If it extends to September could mean no County Champion once again and you'd have to feel for Somerset who would be strong favourites at this point

Why, at this point, are squads having to all isolate if they have a positive case?!

Usually because there are several positive cases not just the one. That I'm afraid is only likely to get worse after July 19th

OK 3 or 4 positive cases. Still daft. Don't happen in the workplace. Should be treated like any other virus now, we've been vaccinating since December. Enough.

Should happen in the workplace though. Neil Etheridge the Blues goalie is in hospital with it

Well we'll be in this scenario indefinitely for the 4 or 5 year or so then until we see zero Covid. Loads of people over the next few years are going to be in hospital with Covid, it's another virus that's come along. What happened in previous years when 10's of thousands died of the flu every winter? Nothing. Make it make sense.

Rename this the Covid Thread!

You've answered your own question. Proper season of cricket in prospect this winter in New Zealand if you can get over there. They were prepared to make the tough but necessary decisions and stick with it to minimise the impact early on and now reaping the rewards. We could and should and eventually will have to do the same

Flu kills very few people in the hundreds normally and a few thousand occasionally. To reach tens of thousands you have to include Pneumonia as well as flu. That mainly affects very frail/old people too not people Neil Etheridge's age

Would imagine the flu has some 31 year olds in hospital too.

The NBA is 5 or so days away from completing its post season. That didnt get suspended or cancelled and they had numerous positive cases all 72 game season long. If a player tested positive he didn't play until he produced a negative test result. They didn't put entire squads into isolation, they just got on with it. No bio secure bubbles or anything.

I was an advocate of lockdowns and distancing last year but at this point, with a successful vaccine rollout in operation, we're being way too cautious over all this now.

We don't need lockdowns. New Zealand doesn't need them too often. Took them 12 weeks initially and since then a week now and again when Auckland has to lockdown. I want the freedom here that they have in New Zealand. I just don't think we will ever achieve that the way we have been going and look set to go next 3/4 months. Hopefully I'm wrong and the virus magically goes away or becomes as harmless as a cold. Very few people have flu and go about their business if people get flu they are very ill in bed. Very few people under the age of 40 have had flu in their lifetime it is less contagious than Covid and far less harmful

Aware of all that. People are going to die. It's bad, but we've got a new thing out there to kill people. Some aren't vaccinated and vaccines aren't perfect, these ones are very good though. However we'll never stop it killing people, especially not the old and frail.

I don't want to come across as unsympathetic because obviously it's a terrible thing. It offed my missus' nan in the winter. I Iost 8 of my work colleagues, terrible stuff. We all wish it didn't exist, but we have to see the world as it is, not as we want it to be.

The number of dying might have a bit to go up yet but we were going to face this moment at some point. It will happen again in the winter too, no doubt. But what can we do, really? This thing is here now.

I wish we'd done what NZ had done, it's a national scandel that we didn't, but here we are.

I'm not sure the season will end properly. I'm far from certain football will go ahead as per normal (although the Premier League will have the finances to do what the NBA have done no other sport here has that kind of funding available). This is summer and there is a misconception that this virus is less severe this time of year it isn't it can spread just as easily. The experiment we're being ushered through next couple of months is a scandal and I know we have to cross a tipping point at some time but I do fear we will just go round in a circle and be back to uncertain times next spring with another huge toll behind us and no nearer this thing being gone.

It's never going to be gone, we've got to learn to live with it now. Can't keep periodically locking down then reintroducing restrictions before relaxing them then reintroducing them again repeat ad nauseum, it's been over 16 months now.

I'm sympathetic to the concerns but we have vaccines that work, they are an incredible scientific feat, and a really successful vaccine rollout but it may aswell have been a shambles if we're gonna carry on like this.

The restrictions overall have probably saved 150-200,000 UK lives the vaccines so far have saved about 30,000 lives you are quite right we now have to hope that switches and the vaccines can do the job that restrictions have done up to now and kind of hold that line. It is open to question whether that will be the case though. Proof will be in the pudding we can only pray. I hope it pushes the virus back from our shores over time and then we can set about helping the developing world countries drive it back there too

Well up for helping the developing world, no issue there.

Still don't see how entire squads going into self isolation and matches/comps getting called off because of a handful of positive cases aids the situation in the UK at this point though.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/57843984

It will be interesting to see what 'University players' Robinson is referring to, when he talks about giving youngsters a chance in the RLC ?

This is an interesting discussion but perhaps we should have a Covid thread in the Lounge section of the forum?

The_Lickey_Banker wrote:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/57843984

It will be interesting to see what 'University players' Robinson is referring to, when he talks about giving youngsters a chance in the RLC ?

Benjamin etc?

I hope all the contracted lads get a good go before any potential triallists.