Monty's Spin on - End to Covid restrictions promises return of near normal professional sport

Ex-England cricketer Monty Panesar has a regular column for one of our sister sites, Twickenham Nub News. This week, he discusses the upcoming fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder III.

Boris Johnson's decision to sweep away virus restrictions suggests professional sport – which has suffered suffocating Covid bubbles, quarantine and testing – will see a return to normality.

It could be good news for Novak Djokovic and his participation in Wimbledon, which may now be free to welcome the world number one.

It will also be a huge relief to England's cricketers, many of whom have suffered real distress because of the impact of Covid restrictions on their family lives.

Djokovic, who was controversially kicked out of Australia and missed the Open over his refusal to get vaccinated, has been back in action at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships.

While some tournaments, such as the Dubai event, do not require players to be vaccinated, other major events, such as the French Open, are unlikely to take the same line.

Consequently, it may be the case that Wimbledon is the only Slam that the Serbian will be able to play this year.

It is clear that the controversy has had an impact on Djokovic, who was well received by the crowd in Dubai. While he had a comfortable first round win, emotions were running high and we saw lots of chest thumping.

From Thursday, the requirement to self-isolate after getting a positive Covid result in England will be removed, which points to greater freedoms across professional sport.

We are expecting to see Premier League on course to remove all emergency measures by the end of February. In the most recent tests of some 2,900 players and staff, just nine were positive.

The new situation is also good news for the Indian test team, who will be playing a Test later in the year after cancelling the final 2021 series match over a Covid outbreak.

It seems likely to bring an end to the Covid bubbles for the England cricket team this summer. They have played more Test matches than any other nation during the lockdowns and the associated bubbles - with their quarantine rules and restrictions on mixing - have hit players hard.

The strain has been evident after seeing a few players leaving the PSL- the likes of Alex Hales and Ben Duckett - due to mental strain of the bubbles associated with the demands of franchise cricket.

We can expect changes to the rules when the County cricket season begins in April. Any cricketer testing positive will no longer need to self-isolate but they may be advised to stay at home and avoid contact with others for at least full five days. It will ECB's responsibility how they conduct their Covid-19 protocols.

The country has passed the peak of Omicron with cases and hospital admissions deteriorating and it could mean professional sport will now begin live with Covid as well.