It’s nearly a month after the domestic season was supposed to start for a raft of Test players and another setback could hit Ashes preparations.
Three Sheffield Shield games before the Ashes is the best-case scenario for some Test stars and hopefuls, with Victoria facing another month before opening its domestic season.
The Vics had planned to exit the state this weekend and head to Adelaide but that has been pushed back after the move was blocked by South Australian health officials. A date for their departure remains unknown.
Players from NSW have also had their plans to fly to Adelaide this weekend postponed, leaving players like batting gun Will Pucovski and fast bowler James Pattinson staring at limited opportunities to press Test claims.
All Victorian and NSW players will have to do 14 days’ hard quarantine when they arrive at their new destination, and then take an extra week after that to prepare for their opening match, which is yet to be fixtured.
Victoria’s season was supposed to start on September 11, but ongoing border restrictions have created a logistic minefield for Cricket Australia in trying to schedule matches.
The Vics are now staring at a start date towards the end of October.
It’s understood frustration is growing among players, some of whom began their pre-seasons in June. Pucovski is also looking to test out his shoulder, which he had operated on following his Test debut in January against India.
“I think we’re hoping that we go into quarantine not this weekend, the weekend after and then have we’ll have two weeks of quarantine,” Victorian coach Chris Rogers said on Thursday.
“We’ll probably need another six to seven days of getting the bowlers back up and prepared. We’re probably looking at about four weeks from now.”
Victoria recorded the biggest surge in Covid-19 numbers on Thursday with 1438 new cases.
This latest delay would mean three consecutive Shield games would be the maximum possible before players head to their respective Big Bash setups – with that tournament set to kick-off in early December – or join the Australian Test squad.
But Rogers said last month the lack of games shouldn’t hinder Ashes selection.
“The conversation with George Bailey was a lot around them being comfortable with what they know of the players; they have been around for a bit,” Rogers said.
Tasmania decided to fly out of Brisbane hours before the start of its Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland on Tuesday, and no further matches have yet been scheduled, as players from both Victoria and NSW await the green light to even leave their states.
Only one Sheffield Shield game and one domestic one-day game, both between SA and WA, have been completed.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
