Cricket Australia is compelled to amend its international summer itinerary in wake of the stringent COVID-19 guidelines enforced by the Western Australia State Government.
India were scheduled to start their tour of Australia in November from Perth. The plan could now be amended as the Western Australia State Government has ruled out any relaxations in quarantine guidelines for people flying in from abroad.
Both the teams as per the original plan had to start their build-up and training for the series in Perth.
“We didn’t think it was acceptable to have the team return from a high-risk overseas location and then take part in normal training activities outside of quarantine, before flying out to another state to play games,” ESPN Cricinfo has quoted Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan as saying.
The Virat Kohli-led Indians and some of the Australian players will be flying into Australia directly from the UAE after the Indian Premier League. There have also been concerns about the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since Victoria has witnessed a high number of COVID-19 cases.
In such a scenario, Cricket Australia might start the tour of India from either Adelaide or Brisbane. The Adelaide Oval might also have to host back-to-back Tests, a day-night game and then a day match over the holiday period, should the MCG remain unsuitable for the Boxing Day showpiece.
India’s tour of Australia is likely to start with limited-overs competition. The four-match Test series will follow later.
A revised Test series schedule is expected to be announced by CA this week, pending government approvals.