Australia cricket players’ stay in a bio-bubble zone throughout the Sydney and Brisbane Test matches will mean that they don’t have to go for an additional isolation period for the Big Bash League (BBL) games after the India-Australia Test series.
The last 16 matches of BBL, including the play-offs and final, will be played after the last Test of the India-Australia series ends in Brisbane on January 19.
BBL regulars Moises Henriques (Sydney Sixers), Michael Neser (Adelaide Strikers), Mitchell Swepson (Brisbane Heat), James Pattinson, and Marcus Harris (Melbourne Renegades) are part of Australia’s Test squad for India Tests and have played little cricket over the past month.
“In terms of our playing group they have obviously been within that secure bubble and then going on to BBL and we will working with relevant jurisdictions to make sure that we get the necessary exemptions if there are restrictions in place. When they move to Brisbane, they will have been playing under quarantine conditions,” said Cricket Australia’s interim chief executive officer, Nick Hockley while speaking to the media on Wednesday.
“That means they will be predominantly moving between their accommodation and the ground, be that for training or playing,” he added.
“Players will be free to leave Queensland for BBL games provided there are no restrictions to their onward destination.”
There are border restrictions between New South Wales and Queensland, the states that host the last two India-Australia Test matches.
“Prerequisite to get from Sydney into Brisbane at the moment is a government exemption. That’s the work we have been doing with the Queensland health department,” added Hockley.
Cricket Australia is also involved in talks with Cricket South Africa (CSA) for the upcoming tour.
The Aussies and Proteas play a Test series early next year in South Africa. However, England’s pullout from the ODI series in South Africa this month has put a question mark on the tour.
“We are working through it in the background. We are in regular dialogue with CSA and that planning is preceding again as we have always said the health and safety of all the participants in the No. 1 priority,” said Hockley.
“Our starting position is that we will want to go. We are working with planning and protocols with CSA and in the next few weeks we will be making further announcements.”
