India tour of Australia is likely to kick-off either in Adelaide or Brisbane instead of Perth because the Western Australia government has denied any relaxation in the quarantine period.
As per Cricket Australia’s (CA) initial plans, the Australian team, which is currently touring England, and the Indian players were expected to enter the country via Perth after playing the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
The two teams were supposed to practice during their quarantine period ahead of the series but the West Australian government has demanded a strict hotel quarantine. According to ESPNCricinfo, the officials stated that both the teams will be returning from overseas and in such a situation, there can be a huge risk of spread of the virus.
Cricket Australia spokesperson on India-Australia series:
“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,” Mark McGowan, the Premier of the WA state government was quoted as saying by the report.
“There were just too many risks in the model put forward by Cricket Australia. We need to remain vigilant and do the right thing by all Western Australians and not take unnecessary chances.”
CA spokesperson has also agreed to WA’s demand and the players are expected to not land in Perth.
“We acknowledge the WA government has a firm position on quarantine and border arrangements,” Cricket Australia spokesperson said.
“The Australian men’s team will not be quarantining in Perth upon their return from the UK.”
The much-anticipated tour is likely to start with limited-overs matches (T20 series) before the action shifts to the four-Test series.
Also, the Adelaide Oval will host the Boxing Day Test against India later this year in case the iconic MCG is not available because of rising coronavirus cases in the state of Victoria.
Considering all the factors, CA will make changes in the original schedule and is likely to announce it this week.