Ashes 2021 | No way I would go to Ashes with 'ridiculous quarantine rules' in place, states Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen has firmly said that he will not fly to Australia if the strict covid restrictions are not lifted
|Kevin Pietersen has firmly said that he will not travel to Australia for the commentary duties during the Ashes 2021, if the bio-bubbles and quarantine rules are not lifted before the series. Terming them as āridiculousā, Pietersen added that the players have had enough with the strict restrictions.
The five-match Test series, which is scheduled to begin from December 8 in Brisbane, has been in the news for a while now with several England players expressing their reservations against the strict COVID 19 protocols that are currently in place in Australia. The fate of the tour remains unclear with several senior English players having considered the possibility of a withdrawla, depending on what type of restrictions they have to live under.
Kevin Pietersen, the four-time Ashes winner, echoed in players' sentiments.
"There is NO WAY I would go to The Ashes this winter. ZERO chance! Unless, the ridiculous quarantine rules were squashed and my family could travel with zero restrictions. Players are now done with bubbles! DONE!" Pietersen tweeted.Ā
Recently, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had raised the issue of a travel ban on the families of England cricketers for the Ashes with his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, on the sidelines of a diplomatic visit to Washington DC.
"I raised it (with Mr Morrison) and he said he was going to do his best for the families," Johnson had told reporters in the American capital.
"He totally got the point that for cricketers it is very tough to ask people to be away from their families over Christmas. He merely undertook to come back and see if he could find a solution."
There is NO WAY I would go to The Ashes this winter.
ā Kevin Pietersenš¦ (@KP24) September 27, 2021
ZERO chance!
Unless, the ridiculous quarantine rules were squashed and my family could travel with zero restrictions.
Players are now done with bubbles!
DONE!!!!!!!
With the T20 World Cup 2021 set to be played under a strict bio-bubble in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, England players who play all three formats could end up staying in a bubble for almost four months, if they go ahead with the long tour of Australia.
Australia plans to ease border and quarantine restrictions by the end of this year, after at least 80 per cent of its adult population are fully vaccinated. Officials in the COVID-free states of Western Australia and Queensland have however said that they may keep their borders shut for a longer period, depending on the situation.
