Australia not to curtail India’s quarantine period in Australia

The touring Indian cricketers and support staff will have to undergo a quarantine period of two weeks on their arrival in Australia. Cricket Australia’s interim CEO, Nick Hockley, confirmed the development. Earlier BCCI President Sourav Ganguly had asked for shortening the quarantine period.

Also read: Sourav Ganguly confirms India’s tour to Australia in December

Hockley said, “The two-week quarantine is pretty well-defined. What we are working on is making sure that even within that quarantine environment, the players have got the absolute best training facilities, so that their preparation for the matches is as optimal as it can possibly be…Certainly, the fact that the Adelaide Oval has a hotel…it does provide a facility not dissimilar to Old Trafford or Ageas Bowl where the hotels are integrated into venue.”

Ganguly had asserted that he did not want the players to just sit idle for 14 days. Hockley accepted the premise and said that they will work towards providing the best possible training facilities while serving the quarantine period. Adelaide Oval, with its newly constructed hotel, fits the bill. England opted for a similar method in their Test matches against West Indies. Both the English venues, Manchester and Southampton had hotels in the proximity of the ground.

With ICC confirming the postponement of the T20 World Cup of 2020, the chances of IPL being played in the same window are high. BCCI will have to ensure finishing the IPL well before India’s scheduled departure to Australia for the Test series. Cricket Australia will also have to take care of that aspect since many Australians will be participating in the IPL.