'Spare us the s--- talk': English media's brutal backlash to 'pillock' Paine

Looks like the families can be part of the initial quarantine and stay with the players on the Gold Coast, or come over later and quarantine in the Yarra Valley if they wish, possibly with less stringent requirements given more vaccinations will have taken place by then. Not sure about bubbles.

This isn’t about Pietersen, it’s about the hypocrite, worst Australian captain ever, Paine!

No, it’s an ICC decision.

Sorry…I have no time for KP. He abandoned South African cricket because of ‘lack of selection opportunities’. Which, of course, is Yarpie for ‘too meny bleddy blacks in the team’

More than a bit. Still more effective than his sledging though.

I’d say worst case scenario mcg 50 percent crowds but 75 to 100 percent most likely but only vaccinated allowed with Dan’s mandates

Intersting mate I’ll just say the people of Vic and nsw are way more used to covid and half the pop is less fearful of it and can’t put up with lockdowns any more it’s some thing wa folk don’t understand as haven’t been through such long enduring lockdown periods . The key diff now is the federal welfare and covid assistance is off so watch premiers change their tune over here. Wa and Queensland and Tassie have always been quickest to close the borders shut and do long quarentine off the back of a change whilst people are mid flight on a holiday there . This disturbs the poms with cricket decisions they have got in to the weeds on it with cricket australia. I think nsw and Vic will move in unison . Anything could happen with WA but they will keep that hard border shut longer. They have the benefit of less socio economic crowding and lower population but McGowan is cutthroat on something like shutting down cricket . Andrews panders to afl and cricket and tennis bodies as it’s cost our citizens as he allowed big crowds back to gain popularity quickly and in big numbers only to then lock the people down weeks later for months on end and blame them . He’s sports friendly Dan. It won’t stop the cricket Jeff . Dan’s more likely to lock down the low crowded socio economic areas west and north of Melbourne if he does anything as time goes on as hes not getting the welfare off Scotty now

Above should have read the biggest underestimate was India, not China.

JN, its not just the elderly - about a quarter of deaths are under 65. And a lot of people get long Covid, maybe 10%, with a proportion of them getting persistent neurological systems or affects on the heart and lungs. So that's why Australians have generally been happy to keep strict border controls or temporary lockdowns to keep fairly free of Covid and have fairly normal lives, and not much economic damage - until recently. But now the writing is on the wall that we can't eliminate Covid and states are moving to open up once the vaccination rates get reasonably high. The main thing is not to have hospitals overflowing.

Gladys said once at 80%, snap localised lockdowns are inevitable because cases are going to surge. I think NSW is going to be far more prone to lockdowns and the associated uncertainty than WA over summer.

Understand what your saying about wa but the most prone to lockdowning quickly and possibly cancelling the match will be wa . McGowan and Palachook have shown their ability to lockdown and close very quickly . The Gabba and wa matches are soonest on schedule . Victoria and nsw will be open by December 1 no doubt about it . They won’t lockdown again . Aka the English model will kick in where crowds are used to covid and opening all things with covid accepted as a norm in high case numbers as people gather in numbers and things will get back to normal a bit quicker with some potential localised lockdowns . Much is not sure with McGowans approach in terms of timing, he goes on about 90 percent double vax to stop lockdowns and won’t give assurances that nsw and Victoria will give by December 1 . Victoria and nsw go on about 80 percent then it’s open time. They won’t have any wiggle room and no more fed funding . Victoria probably more prone to some local area lockdowns or reduced capacity at worse die to labor mentality which would only effect boxing day capacity as opposed to last four days which won’t sell out , as a worst case scenario with a crowd cap . No matter what softest way in to country to appease England is Canberra or Sydney with seven days home quarartine as they don’t want hotel 14 days without family . McGowan won’t do that Jeff he’s not going to budge . From Sydney they fly to Gabba anyway if that’s the opening test or wa test goes last in schedule when they are 90 percent or as far as they will vaccinate by end of December and more attune to opening with testing and vax from other states. On current schedule for aus it definitely makes sense for England to fly to Gabba or wa first but are those two states open to each other and what are the chances one will get an outbreak and bottle up in December with panic on first outbreaks. Victoria and nsw know where they stand really now. That’s not an argument against wa and Gabba keeping hard borders until later than other states for their citizens who haven’t been subject to long strict lockdowns breaking their people mentally and with small biz shutdowns but already we see some creeping numbers and uncertainty with qld (Gabba ) and refusal to be clear . Nsw and Vic will move together from Dec 1 if not sooner as intenrstional flights open Sydney sooner or just after at latest . Wa and qld are behind in covid opening mentality and more prone to shutting a test match down pre Xmas on such a basis they could still have big lockdowns st the drop of a hat and the people as you point out aren’t ready to open with a rush and have covid zero mentality . Hence we get cancelled matches due to their policies and covid free zero approaches

20 million dead, yes that was bad, very bad, but the US, England and France made a false allegation against another country. On another level that is still pretty bad.

But WA is a location without any COVID. NSW and VIC may come out of the current situation at 80% vac and therefore “ease” their restrictions. That is a step forward for sure. Even if there are still localised restrictions that have to be enforced if case numbers balloon in particular areas. But for those in WA, any “easing” in border restrictions at 80% which then results in increased cases and consequently similar localised restrictions, is a step backwards from what that population has known to this point in time - and for quite some time. Hence why there is general acceptance of waiting a couple of months or so longer before opening up in WA. It’s been this long re border closures, that another 8-12 weeks isn’t considered that much of a stretch by most in WA.

100%crowds at MCG in December? Or less?

Thing is ACT quarantine ntrance satisifies the Brits and that they won’t be in a stuffy hotel room if they go nsw which will have seven day home quarentine pilot going easily by mid November and england team could be part of that . In theory it fits in with nsw state law . Solves the problem completely . From there you let the states that grow some reality bites on 80 percent vaccination to partake and you have a reserve policy to switch matches to mcg or scg maybe a dn and a day test a piece . At worst four tests between mcg and scg but likely you’d get all five done with the other states and all are happy . England will be happy they dont have an awful quarentine and bring family out in the two state country . I don’t understand how they can’t impliment that . If McGowan and Palachook won’t play ball so be it even though I want those tests to go ahead as they are advantageous to australia but we can’t rely on the labor dictators and islands until they get used to the fact covid is going to be ever present for quite a time

I’d say after months and months of lockdown no chance Jeff . At worse minor restrictions and local area lock downs but Victorians are at the end of their tether after 240 days of hard lockdown . They’d have a city riot if they don’t stick to the national plan . We may see some issues in the new year if hospitals don’t cope which is possible as the country has not prepared its hospitals, ICUs and alternative staging options properly. Apparently Queensland hospitals no where near ready . Nsw and Vic won’t lock down fully again. the cricket will go ahead In these two states. The are safe entry points especially nsw as quite frankly they will be 80 percent double vax easily by middle November pushing up to 90 percent double vaxed by December 1 . The labour govs in wa and Gabba will lockdown at the sniff of several cases as they just havent got used to covid cases yet and fear is still at all time highs . The other thing that is clear is the welfare taps are off federally so Dan won’t lockdown other than local areas if at all after mid November they won’t cope with out federal financing. Nsw is a slam dunk to be open too

Is there no chance though that NSW and especially Vic won’t lock down again (in some form) after 1 December?

I think it’s both sides not problem solving effectively no reason why they can’t come in to nsw and Vic leave and end up there effectively by Nov 15 let alone end of November . If they lose some tests due to the ineptitude of silly state leaders then they lose them . Nsw and Vic will go ahead for sure and will be sharing mindsets closer to the English team by then as there is no chance of Vic and nsw locking down any longer by December 1 . Sadly Australia have been dire at mcg and scg more recently

Yeah. But this is the problem for the England players looking to commit or not. It’s all guess work right now as what is possible.

I’m in nanny Western Australia. My biggest gripe is not being able to travel o/s, cos that is something I love to do. Himalaya are beckoning and as the years pass, my knees get weaker! But that said, I’ve come to accept that delay, and TBH, everything else is great re not living with COVID - restrictions, masks, hospitalisations etc. In WA, COVID is very much an abstract concept. Life is as it always has been, other than not being able to cross borders. But then, with one third of the continent available, locals are simply travelling domestically- east/west and north/south. I guess that’s why there remains strong local support for maintaining border closures