Just when it seemed the preparation for the Ashes series are well and truly underway, there seems to be a hiccup again as the reports have surfaced that the Western Australia (WA) government is not ready to allow the players to travel to Perth with their families and play the 5th test match straight away without undergoing any quarantine.
Generally, it’s the 3rd test match of the Ashes which takes place in Perth, but this time around because of the COVID restrictions in different Australian states, it was decided that the Perth test match will be shifted to the end of the series.
But, it seems like the test match won’t be able to take place in Perth at all because the England players are believed to be in no mood to go through another two-week quarantine after already having gone through a two-week quarantine upon their arrival in Australia.
The western Australian government has never eased their COVID guideline for any sporting event since the start of the pandemic. Even when the AFL final was held in Perth a couple of months back in September, the players had to complete the quarantine period demanded by the government before the event could go ahead.
Top England cricketers already had their reservations about touring Australia for the Ashes because of the strict COVID guidelines, but eventually, they decided to tour as they were assured of free interstate travel once they completed their mandatory quarantine on their arrival, which they have already completed.
New South Wales might host the last Ashes test match now
It is highly unlikely that the England touring party will agree to another quarantine period and considering the firm stance of the Western Australia government on the matter, the only solution is to shift the test match from Perth to somewhere else.
The 4th Ashes test match is scheduled to be played in Sydney, and it is very much possible now that the last test also takes place in New South Wales itself, rather than the teams moving to any other Australian state.
