England is due to travel to Australia this winter, with a five-game test series scheduled to begin on December 8, but the tour has been called into question due to uncertainty over coronavirus restrictions.
England is scheduled to tour Australia this winter
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will meet this week to decide whether the next Ashes series can go ahead as planned after a “positive dialogue” with Cricket Australia.
England will travel to Australia this winter, with a five-match test series scheduled to begin on December 8, but the tour has been called into question due to ongoing uncertainty over coronavirus restrictions.
England cricketers are still awaiting details of quarantine, bubbles and entry restrictions and several players, including Captain Joe Root and Vice Captain Jos Buttler, have expressed doubts about the tour.
The ECB says it is still in talks with Cricket Australia and will make a decision on the viability of the tour at a meeting later this week.
“Over the weekend we have been speaking with the players and England management to provide them with the latest information on the proposed arrangements for the Ashes tour scheduled for this winter,” a statement read Monday.
“We are in a positive and regular dialogue with Cricket Australia on these deals as the landscape is constantly evolving.
“With health and wellness at the forefront, our goal is to ensure that the tour can move forward with the conditions for players and management to perform at their best.
“We will continue to speak with our players this week to share the latest information and seek feedback.
“Later this week, the ECB Council will meet to decide whether the existing conditions are sufficient for the Tour to move forward and allow the selection of a suitable team for a series of this importance.”
Speaking last week, Root said he has yet to make a “final decision” on whether to commit to the Ashes series, as he and his teammates await the exact conditions of entry into Australia.
Buttler, meanwhile, has said he wouldn’t consider traveling for the tour if his family couldn’t join him.
Australia captain Tim Paine insists the series will go ahead regardless of the reluctance of the England players.
“The ashes go ahead. The first test is December 8, whether Joe is here or not,” Paine told the radio station. SEN Hobart.
“It will be settled above us and then they will have the option to get on that plane or not.
“Nobody is forcing any player from England to come. That is the beauty of the world we live in, you have a choice. If you don’t want to come, don’t come.”
