Players will be sent quarantine details in the coming daysAustralian PM insists no favours will be done for touristsThe fog of uncertainty that has hung over preparations for this winter’s Ashes tour could start to lift over the next few days as England’s players are sent details of the Covid restrictions that will apply to their trip to Australia, and finally learn about the quarantine and bubble conditions that will be imposed upon them as they play five Tests in six weeks across five different states.
During lengthy negotiations between the ECB and
Cricket Australia the prospective tourists had sought assurances that their families would be able to travel. With Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, now promising “no special deals” their primary concern has shifted to the conditions they themselves will face. The key question is whether they will have a degree of freedom once they complete their initial quarantine on arrival in the country, or whether they will be expected to live in strictly enforced bio-secure bubbles.