Great Britain's Health Minister Greg Hunt has revealed that it is ultimately in the hands of the touring party i.e. England Mens’ team, if they want to travel to Australia or not. The Ashes situation has become very grim over the past week with several England players indicating that they will not like to travel under the hard quarantine rules of Australia. The matter of being away from their families in the holiday season has sprung time and again making the situation more complex.
Taking to Skye News Australia, Hunt said, "Ultimately, it's always in the hands of the touring party, but we've been working to be flexible and practical.”
“On the one hand, we have to make sure that we have safety arrangements as per Australian conditions. On the other hand, to be practical and flexible to give that touring party every chance of coming here and to have the Ashes played this summer,” he added, giving indications that Australia would have to curb its very strict Covid rules for families of English players to be able to travel.
The Ashes is not just about rivalry and traditions, but also involve a huge amount of money for Cricket Australia, as much as A$200 million and thus CA doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned for the series to continue and also pave way for a fruitful BBL 11 as well.
"We have had regular and positive discussions with the ECB over the past six months on providing conditions which will allow players from both teams to perform at their best during the Ashes summer," CA said in a statement.
"The health and wellbeing of both squads while ensuring the tour proceeds in a safe manner is a priority and we especially thank our government partners for all their support in this regard,” it added.