Australian Test captain Tim Paine has put the heat on England’s players who are threatening to boycott the Ashes this summer, pointing out that the Australian squad faces exactly the same scenario in relation to restrictions on movements.
Reports suggest England’s leading players could pull out of the tour as soon as tonight, when they’re presented with details of what’s expected to be strict bubble conditions for the tour.
It appears unlikely they’ll be able to avoid the strict 14-day quarantine period when they arrive in the country, although the players’ concerns reportedly centre around possible restrictions that will remain even after the two weeks in isolation.
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Instead of being allowed to move within the community after quarantine, the fear is they’ll be stuck in a biosecure bubble, to avoid a situation similar to that which saw the recent cancellation of a Test between England and India just hours before it was due to start.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the issue with his British counterpart Boris Johnson when the pair met in Washington earlier this week, but Mr Morrison has indicated there’ll be “no special deals” for the Ashes.
“They know that they’re going to have to do some quarantine, potentially, ScoMo and Boris are having conversations, the conversations are being had at the very top,” Paine said on SEN.
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“It’s above Cricket Australia, it’s above the ECB, it’s certainly above the players. Those decisions will be made and you’re just going to have to deal with it.
“But, the England team will have to do nothing different than what they’re asking the Australian team to do.”
Of equal concern to Cricket Australia will be the schedule for the series, which is due to start on December 8 in Brisbane.
The boss of Optus Stadium, Mike McKenna, himself a former Cricket Australia executive, has cast a shadow over the summer, with the Perth Test currently scheduled to begin five days after the end of the Sydney match.
“I think the COVID situation, even now, would make you question that scheduling,” he said.
“The direction they’re going in, it’s going to be very difficult for CA to find a program that’s going to work.
“Right at the moment, it would not be possible to bring a team from New South Wales, having played in Sydney, to Perth.
“It would not happen.”
Paine, who in 35 Tests is yet to play at his home ground in Hobart, has previously raised that venue as an option for an Ashes Test, particularly with the scheduled match against Afghanistan in serious doubt.
“The easy way through this is to throw one of these matches down to Blundstone Arena, and then we’ll go to Perth,” he said.
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“It wasn’t popular with the Sydney media, I must admit.
“I copped a little bit of flak”
But the Australian captain believes CA will pursue other options before awarding a Test to Hobart.
“I don’t think there will be, I really don’t,” he said of the chances of playing at Blundstone.
“After it was raised, they didn’t like it. I tell you what will happen, they’ll bypass Tassie, like they always do. We’ll play two Tests in Sydney, or two Tests in Perth. That’s what they’ll do.
“I don’t agree with it. I absolutely do not agree with it. But I can see it a mile away. Been here too many times. How many Test matches has Tassie got in the last 10 years?
“It’s easier for the broadcasters to either have two games in Sydney or two games in Perth.”
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