Life in a biosecure bubble brings the challenge of finding motivation in empty grounds for introverts and extroverts alike
The doom-mongers said this summer could be the end of cricket as we knew it. They were talking about The Hundred, obviously, not a pandemic, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Rather than Welsh Fire and Manchester Originals, we got biosecure bubbles and umpires with wet wipes. Instead of inuring ourselves to five-ball overs or becoming instant experts in the strategic use of the timeout, we have been given a host of other unexpected details to obsess over.
Who knew, for instance, the player with the sweatiest back would suddenly have such a vital role in the team? With Australia in England for their limited-overs games, the ICC is further tightening the regulations for shining the ball. No perspiration from the head, face or neck is to be used on the ball: in other words, dampest shirt-tail wins. Even now, Joe Denly may be riding the lifts in the Ageas Hilton in his workout gear, hoping to run into Eoin Morgan in a powerfully moist state in order to stake his claim before Friday’s T20.
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