Reports | England face mass withdrawal before Ashes series in Australia due to hard quarantine rules
There is a lot of uncertainty around the Ashes 2021
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Ahead of the Ashes series, which is scheduled to begin from December 2021, few England players are considering pulling out of the series due to strict quarantine rules. Cricket Australia (CA) has not yet made an agreement over travel and quarantine facilities for the families of the English players.
The Ashes is one of the most prestigious Test series which takes place between Australia and England and is proposed to begin from December 2021. However, the availability of England’s key players remains uncertain with several players considering pulling out of the series, owing to the hard quarantine rules, reported 'Sydney Morning Herald'. Earlier, Cricket Australia had announced that the families of the players wouldn't be allowed to travel with the team for the Ashes Down Under.
With the uncertainty around the quarantine facilities for the families of English players continuing, there has been displeasure from different quarters. The English team had a meeting at Headingley this week, in which they were frustrated with the lack of progress in regards to the quarantine rules by Cricket Australia.
It has been reported that Cricket Australia doesn't have a great influence on the government to ease the regulations for the English players though the CA officials, on Saturday, stated that the board is trying its best to find a solution to solve the issues of the English players regarding the strict protocols.
"Cricket Australia continues to work closely with the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and government authorities in Australia regarding the upcoming Ashes series, which will be the centrepiece for one of the biggest summers of cricket on record," a CA statement read.
"We are currently planning the operational requirements of this tour and working with the ECB on the proposed make-up of the England touring party.
"As was the case last season, CA will work constructively and in partnership with government to deliver the summer of cricket, while ensuring the health, wellbeing and safety of the community."
The Australian players who returned home after featuring in the white-ball series against West Indies and Bangladesh are still going through their quarantine period in a hotel in Adelaide. The players are not allowed to practice until the isolation period gets over. Recently, Australia adopted strict COVID protocols in the country to bring down the surging cases of the deadly disease.
