Stereotypical Covid sceptics are a kind of fringe lunatic but elite sportspeople are reared to keep total control of their bodies
A few years ago, I was in
India on an
England Cricket tour, watching net practice. It was a baking hot day at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi, and for the observing media the only available shade was next to a small marquee – really, just a glorified tent – that had been erected for the batsmen to pad up and the bowlers to take a breather. It was while perching in this very spot that I became aware of the surreal conversation taking place on the other side of the canvas.
“Have you guys heard of Julian Assange?” one of the England players was asking his teammates. “It’s a mad story. I was up till about 4am reading about it. He’s the
WikiLeaks hacker who published all these secrets about the US government and all their wars and stuff. And so what the US government did, they basically framed him for rape and tried to get him extradited to
Sweden. It’s mad.”