The Aussies are Still Coming...

Hope rising for full Sheffield Shield season despite coronavirus.

Andrew Wu.

Sydney Morning Herald.

Friday, 14 August 2020.

The Australian Cricket Council (ACC) resolved at a meeting on Thursday to play as much cricket as possible this southern summer despite the uncertainty to the game created by Australia's second wave of coronavirus (PTG 3220-15946, 13 August 2020).  While there had been another push to reduce Cricket Australia’s (CA) Sheffield Shield first class season, there is now a view that CA is genuine in its want to deliver a full domestic program (PTG 3216-15924, 7 August 2020).  It comes with an announcement imminent to officially confirm Australia's one-day international tour of England.

How a ‘full domestic season' will happen at a time when borders between some Australian states are closed and quarantine measures in place will be further discussed at another meeting of the ACC in a fortnight.  The ACC consists of Earl Eddings as CA chairman, the six state and two territory cricket association chairs, and and Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) or player’s union president Greg Dyer, however, it does not have formal powers.

One scenario being discussed among states may see CA having to burn the candle at both ends of the summer period, with an earlier start and a later finish – possibly pushing into April, which would create problems with ground availability due to the start of the winter football codes.  While talks on Thursday were described as constructive and positive, in contrast to the bitter division which engulfed the game over CA's response to the pandemic, there remains some angst in the air.  Some are unhappy with the ACA over what they believe to be the player union's unreasonable insistence for there to be no cuts to domestic competitions.

Eddings has been strong in his support of a full Sheffield Shield season though the board's hands are effectively tied on the issue given no changes can be made without sign-off from the ACA.  There is a financial imperative in stumping up the hefty costs to put players in hubs for international games and the men’s and women's Big Bash League tournaments as they drive Australian cricket revenue (PTG 3215-15920, 6 August 2020).

The Sheffield Shield is Australian cricket's nursery and s run at considerable expense, with some questioning the wisdom of further lifting those costs in these extraordinary circumstances.  An industry source believes it would cost a state around $A300,000 (£UK164,280) to move a squad of about 18 players into quarantine for two weeks, at a time when state associations are in discussions over cuts to distributions. It remains unclear who would foot the bill.

The need for the Shield to provide red-ball practice before the Test summer would be diluted if CA calls its best players into a training hub before the scheduled games against Afghanistan and India.

Meanwhile, the limited-overs tour of England will be Australia's first international assignment since the game was brought to a halt in March by the global health crisis.  Australia's players are due to leave Perth on Sunday week for England, where they would stay initially in a biosecure bubble in Derby. The squad, minus those involved in the Indian Premier League, are due to return on September 17 via Perth, where they would be able to train and quarantine ahead of the Afghanistan Test.

PTG 3221-15954.

Australia to fly to England on chartered plane for limited-overs tour.
Tim Wigmore.

London Daily Telegraph.

Monday, 20 July 2020.

PTG 3199-15836.

Australia's limited-overs tour to England is set to go ahead in September, with the touring party likely to fly to the UK on a private charter plane.  The teams are due to play three Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) and three One Day Internationals (ODI) in a series originally scheduled for July.  Matches will now be played from September 4-15 with the three T20Is played on September 4, 6 and 8, before the ODIs take place on September 10, 12 and 15.

Like the rest of England's summer schedule, all matches are set to be played at the Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford, the only two international grounds that have hotels on site with sufficient capacity to host both teams, the match officials and broadcasters.  But it is thought that the Australian party, unlike the West Indies and Pakistan, will not have to quarantine for two weeks before the series as the UK government does not impose such a restriction on Australians.  The tourists have already named an extended 26-man preliminary squad for the England series.

Should Australia fulfil their tour, it would be a huge boost for the England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB), as it would mean that England would be able to play all their scheduled men's summer fixtures. Fulfilling all their commitments will be worth £UK280 million ($A502m) in broadcasting revenue to the EWCB, and will help with the governing body's finances, even though the sport in the UK still stands to lose £UK100m ($A179m) from the impact of Covid-19 this northern summer.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the International Cricket Council on Monday is expected to confirm the decision to postpone the T20 World Cup, which was scheduled to be played in Australia in October and November. If the decision is taken, it will pave the way for the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be rescheduled.  The IPL is now likely to be played from September to November, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India reported to be planning to stage the tournament from September 26 to November 7.

Due to COVID-19 – India has had more than one million cases, the third highest figure in the world – the competition is set to be played in the United Arab Emirates.