Australia keen to host India at Melbourne for Boxing Day Test

Cricket Australia remains optimistic about hosting India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Boxing Day Test this year.

India are slated to start the four-Test series Down Under from December 3.

Fears are raised about the Melbourne Test being moved to another city since Victoria has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. The COVID-19 virus spread has compelled the State to impose lockdown in Melbourne.

Cricket Australia (CA) interim chief executive Nick Hockley, however, is optimistic that the Test match against India can be played at the ground, which had a record 86,174 attendance for the last ICC Women’s World Cup final between the hosts and India.

Hockley has also been the ICC T20 World Cups for women and men in Australia.

“It comes down to if we can get a crowd at the MCG we’ll play at the MCG,” Hockley reportedly said today.

“All the restrictions that are ongoing, we are just hopeful that they take very quick effect and we get back on top of the situation and people can get out and about, we can get back to crowds and get back to live events,” Cricket Australia’s official website has reported Hockley as saying.

“We are full steam ahead with the planning (for Boxing Day at the MCG) in the anticipation that we’ll be back to some level of normalcy by that point in time.

“It’s one of the most iconic events on the Australian sporting calendar. Certainly, at this stage we are planning full steam ahead.

“We’re in really constructive discussions with the BCCI (the Indian cricket board) and the government to make sure we get all the travel exemptions for India to come.”

Hockley also said that a final call on the Boxing Day Test will be made over the next few months and added that the CA is also working on alternative options.

“We are having to remain agile, certainly we’re looking at contingency planning across the entire summer,” he said. “Not necessarily specific to certain matches, but our entire events.

“As things change, we’re doing everything we can and we have all the back-up arrangements to make sure we get cricket played.”

Admin Sportz Front

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