Indian cricket’s team anticipated the Australia tour would start in Adelaide or Brisbane after Western Australia raises quarantine regulations.
According to the Indian Express, the Adelaide Oval cricket ground is set to host the back to back practice matches between India and Australia for the upcoming tour. Just in case, the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground is not available due to the rising cases of coronavirus in the state of Victoria.
India Cricket players at risk of getting quarantined
Adding to the quarantine guidelines, the fact that the Indian and Australian cricket players will be coming in from the United Arab Emirates after playing IPL (Indian Premier League) is also a concern for the Australian Government.
The United Arab Emirates is witnessing the second wave of COVID-19 cases, making it riskier for the Australian authorities to get the players back home, train them for the tournament, and then send them again to another state to play.
The CA’s (Cricket Australia) plan was to get both the teams to Perth and have them trained there itself. Still, the Western Australian government, keeping in mind the coronavirus situation, has made strict hotel quarantine rules for the players returning from foreign countries, making it challenging to execute CA’s plan of action.
Australia team will not be quarantined in Perth
There was a thought of relaxing the quarantine protocols to let both teams train for the high-voltage series. A Cricket Australia spokesperson said:
“We acknowledge the WA government has a firm position on quarantine and border arrangements. The Australian men’s team will not be quarantined in Perth upon their return from the UK.”
Cricket Australia has also already put in contingency plans if Victoria (Melbourne Cricket Ground) cannot host the Boxing Day Test because of the rising coronavirus cases in the area.
Meanwhile, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) wants the Indian players to train before the series and therefore has asked the CA to make that possible, which would be an issue with the strict rules and regulations in Perth. The Australian team, which is touring in the UK right now, would also not be allowed to return to Perth, as per the Western Australian guidelines for safety.
The tournament would kick off with T-20 matches and later shift to test match format. This much-anticipated tour between India and Australia would begin soon, after the wrapping up of the soon to start IPL, in UAE.
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