Seldom has the term “open and closed case” carried more layers than the term surrounding Australia’s international home flight schedule for the 2020-21 season.
A little more than 14 hours after the end of the endless Covid-19 lockdown of the metropolis Melbourne by the Victorian government, it announced – together with Cricket Australia and the Melbourne Cricket Club – that the MCG could hold the Boxing Day Test against India with one Crowd of up to 25,000 a day.
At the same time in Perth, a city as untouched by Covid-19 as any other in the world, Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) executive director Christina Matthews had to throw her hands in the air in frustration. This was due to the fact that a lockdown on state government of a different kind – that of WA’s hard border with the rest of the country and the world – ensured the state would go without international cricket for a full summer for the first time since 1976 . 77.
Another contrast, albeit a little less pronounced, was found in Sydney and Brisbane. In the Olympic city, the SCG hosted a multitude of dignitaries to toast the fact that more international cricket than usual was about to take place on the ground as they now play the first six white ball games of the India tour with the Manuka Canberra will divide oval.
Those games ended up in New South Wales (NSW) largely because the state government further north in Queensland was reluctant to quarantine and train both Indian and Australian players and staff – including those returning from the IPL in the UAE – in Brisbane enable. From a time when, as the Courier Mail reported breathlessly, more than half of the Indian Games were played in Queensland, the Gabba will only see Virat Kohli’s team for the last test of a series, which for the first time in Adelaide, Melbourne and Canada will be held in Sydney.
Above all, these conflicting results showed that the state government’s maintenance of a hard border for health or political reasons can be continued indefinitely at no cost or benefit. The total absence of international cricket in WA, and the drastic reduction in it in Queensland, will leave many cricket fans in both states with a sour taste in their mouths, which likely leaves them wondering if more ways could be found to achieve a happier outcome.
At this time there is no certainty that WA will be able to host the Perth Scorchers and their games in the Big Bash League at all. That result would turn WACA memberships into the kind of loyalty gestures that AFL club subscriptions were forced to make earlier this year when the league first had to play without crowds and then allowed them to be limited in numbers in Queensland, WA and NSW. Matthews, who had already seen WA miss an India Test on the original schedule, expressed her frustration with great reluctance.
“It is an extremely disappointing result for our members, fans and our cricket community that WA will miss hosting international cricket games this summer,” said Matthews, no doubt through gritted teeth. “WACA worked tirelessly with Cricket Australia and the Washington government to find a way to bring international cricket to Perth. Limitations due to border restrictions and planning complexity due to Covid-19 led to the decision to open the three- Games game to play ODI series at the SCG and Canberras Manuka Oval.
“We are dealing with circumstances and obstacles that are beyond our control. We respect and understand that tough decisions must be made to ensure that our country can secure as much international cricket as possible this summer. With world-class facilities and the opportunity for cricket fans to do so. ” We believe WA is well prepared to host BBL games this summer and we will continue to work closely with Cricket Australia and the Washington government. “
Given the enormous uncertainty, particularly with regard to Melbourne, WA had had the opportunity to improve its fixtures this season. If the Indian team and returning Australian players from the IPL in the UAE had been able to train and quarantine in Perth, the games that have now been left to Sydney and Canberra would likely have taken place at Perth Stadium. As with the governments of South Australia (SA) and Queensland, initial talks with CA appeared to be positively oriented in this direction, before ultimately more protectionist views prevailed.
As seen at the AFL this season, there was a chance of a change in the balance in providing grants that may never come back: it’s hard to see the Gabba hosting another grand finale, but the move also made possible the league test of a nightly competition decision maker in favor of his station. Instead, domination and conservatism – particularly in WA and Queensland – allowed NSW to topple at the start of the tour, while Victoria belatedly dialed down its Covid-19 numbers to make the promise of a sparsely-attended boxing day.
The words of NSW Tourism Secretary Stuart Ayres were wound up on political grounds, but also contained the underlying truth: “I think this is a classic case where Queensland drops the ball on the second slip and NSW picks it up before it does Hit. ” There has been a strong track record of creating Covid-safe events here in NSW. We had previously worked with CNSW (Cricket New South Wales) and CA on Covid-safe plans for the WBBL. There is no doubt that these plans are in place. The presence of the NSW Police and NSW Health relied on swift implementation of the international agreements.
“We did not compromise on our hotel quarantine for the Indian team. We were able to simplify training agreements for international and elite athletes in other sports. We have already established a track record there and have been able to tailor them.” I think politics has driven most of the decisions in Queensland, whether you allow it or not, you think it depends entirely on the election date. Most unfortunate that you didn’t just focus on the collaboration, health, and data that drives these decisions, it was political. “
In fact, these machinations ultimately helped bolster the order of priority that states like Queensland and WA have always wagered against, with the feeling that their pairing chances are always battling Australia’s two largest states and capitals. NSW, which is also benefiting from the greatly improved relationships between the SCG Trust and the state and CA level cricket administrators, has a bigger stake than ever. Victoria has at least one fictional retention of the jewel in the MCG crown despite all the drama of a locked 2020 year.
Indians familiar with planning problems, who have not seen a test match between Australia and India at Eden Gardens, the MCG’s Asian equivalent, among others, will have watched these events with something akin to glee.
Years ago, at a time of more fragile relationships between CA and the BCCI, it was observed that the Australian governing body would know the date and place of India’s arrival “when they get off the plane”. In 2020 the condition may be changed over the whims of the Australian federal model to “when they find a landing site”.
.
