The Ashes: Cricket Australia reject ECB’s plea to move 1st Test – Cricket Australia have rejected the England Cricket Board’s (ECB) suggestion to move the first Ashes Test to Sydney. As per the current schedule, England are due to play the first Test at Brisbane on December 8, having undergone a mandatory 14-day quarantine before taking the field. At Sydney however, the England players will not have to quarantine, with the state newly amending its rules for fully vaccinated travellers.
The Ashes: Cricket Australia reject ECB’s plea to reschedule 1st Test to Sydney, Joe Root and Co. set for 14-day quarantine in Brisbane
As per a Daily Mail report, Cricket Australia has rejected England Cricket Board’s plea to reschedule the first Test to Sydney, which would have enabled the visiting players to avoid quarantine. Joe Root and Co. are set to travel Down Under at the start of next month, before entering quarantine for two weeks in Brisbane due to Queensland’s tough regulations.
Meanwhile, New South Wales became the first Australian state to relax its norms to fully vaccinated travellers, meaning that the England players would have avoided isolation on arrival. However, during the talks, Cricket Australia concluded that such a shift could possibly derail the entire tour due to different rules in different states and the players could get ‘stuck’ in New South Wales.
The Ashes: Cricket Australia reject ECB’s plea to reschedule 1st Test to Sydney, Joe Root and Co. set for 14-day quarantine in Brisbane
Thus, the Ashes are set to continue as per the itinerary announced earlier this year, with Brisbane hosting the first Test, followed by games at Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. There remain doubts over the fifth Test, with Western Australia insisting on a 14-day quarantine for all travellers. Should the game be moved from the Optus Stadium, Sydney will host the game, a decision that’ll find favour with the visiting party, with most England players being accompanied by their families by then.