Yet to discuss Australian players' availability for resuming IPL, admits Nick Hockley
After being appointed as CA’s new CEO, Nick Hockley has admitted that they are yet to discuss the availability of the Australian players for IPL’s resumption. While talking about how the players felt returning from the turbulent IPL, he stated that the board would look to vaccinate its players.
Three Australian players - Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson and Andrew Tye - left mid-way through the tournament after the Australian government had decided to close its borders. Just weeks after that decision, the BCCI decided to postpone the tournament indefinitely, sending the Australian players back home, via the Maldives.
While the players just finished their quarantine today, the announcement of IPL’s return certainly comes at the wrong time. Australia are all set to travel to West Indies to face the Caribbean side before returning to play international fixtures against Bangladesh. With BCCI announcing the resumption of the IPL, Cricket Australia’s new CEO Nick Hockley admitted that he is yet to discuss the availability of the Australian stars for the second half of the tournament.
"Once we get back together as a group that [the IPL] is something we'll obviously need to discuss," Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia's chief executive, reported ESPNCricinfo.
“Our players returning from the IPL have only today come out of quarantine, so our first priority is to make sure they are reunited with their families…we have a tour to prepare for in the West Indies."
Hockley also stated that the players returning from the tournament are quite shaken by the experience, as they return home for the first time since the start of the IPL. Hockley also confirmed that the players would have to return to the National Cricket Centre, in Brisbane, in a couple of weeks time for their preparations against West Indies.
"They are clearly quite shaken by the experience, and are very appreciative to be back home, very much looking forward to being reunited with family and friends today," Hockley said.
"It's a couple of weeks before the West Indies touring party then regroups at the National Cricket Centre [in Brisbane] and then that's the time to refocus."
Not just that, the Australian players are also set to receive their first shot of the vaccination against COVID-19 before they begin the long tour, away from home.
"We really welcomed the government announcements that people with exemptions to leave Australia for work will be eligible for the vaccine. Now once the players are out of quarantine we will be working to offer them vaccinations before heading off to the West Indies."