The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in an explosive statement made on Monday, 4 October, has put the Ashes series in jeopardy. The statement has said that the ECB will meet later this week to take the final call on the Ashes. Several England players including captain Joe Root haven’t confirmed their participation for the fixtures as they still await the details of the tour and the Covid-19 protocols that would be imposed.
The ECB has said that it has been in discussions with the players about the same.
"Over the weekend we have been talking to England men's players and management to provide them with the latest information about the proposed arrangements for this winter's scheduled Ashes tour," the statement from ECB read.
"We remain in regular and positive dialogue with Cricket Australia over these arrangements as the picture is constantly evolving. With health and wellbeing at the forefront, our focus is to ensure the tour can go ahead with conditions for players and management to perform at their best,” it added.
The statement also read that the board will meet the players this week and decide where the conditions are sufficient to go for a full tour.
"Later this week the ECB board will meet to decide whether the conditions in place are sufficient for the tour to go ahead and enable the selection of a squad befitting a series of this significance."
The Ashes series is slated to begin on December 8 in Brisbane.