Life takes top priority

GEELONG City captain Richie Oliver has called for calm in the local cricket community amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Oliver, who faces an uncertain future as he weighs up whether to return to his homeland of England and be placed in self-isolation or remain in Australia indefinitely, urged his fellow captains to take a deep breath after the decision to abandon the GCA final series.

As Cricket Australia ordered all community cricket to cease in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus, debate rages over whether the call was premature.

Rival skippers are also at loggerheads over a pending call to award premierships to the highest-ranked club or void the season.

But Oliver stressed that players, while disappointed to miss out on a chance to win a premiership, needed to look at the “bigger picture”.

“I’m a bit more chilled about the current situation because what can you do? It’s no one’s fault, it’s the way it is,” he said.

“The team that finishes on top deserves to be there at the end of the day.

“They (Bell Park) have been on top all year, and if it finishes now, they’re the top team.

“In England, whoever finishes on top wins anyway. We don’t play finals.

“I’m more concerned about if there’s a season next year, there’s so much up in the air at the moment. Who knows what will happen? It could be a yearlong epidemic.

“It’s just devastating and people will lose their livelihoods and their lives over this, so I don’t think we should be getting too wound up about sport, as much as we’re disappointed.

“It’s just a game. If you look at the situation in Italy, if 200,000 people die, we’re not going to be talking about cricket, are we?”

Charging into second spot with an outright win over Modewarre in the final round of the home-and-away season, Geelong City was poised to meet Highton in this weekend’s GCA2 semi-final.

And if the GCA pressed ahead with a grand final this weekend to complete the season, as per the wishes of a host of captains, the Sharks would have automatically qualified.

But the GCA has honoured the CA recommendation and the season is over.

Oliver will remain on Australian soil for at least “a few weeks” while he plans his next move. But with increasing travel bans and growing uncertain around the virus in England, the champion batsman could remain in Australia for months.

He could also return home and be forced into quarantine.

“I don’t know what’s going on at the moment,” Oliver said.

“Who knows what will happen? I’ll just have to wait and see.”