With England’s premier domestic first-class competition, the County Championship, not ‘classed among elite sport’ by the UK government, Australian fast-bowler Billy Stanlake has got no quarantine exemption and is having to wait longer for his Derbyshire debut.
After arriving in England on Sunday (April 25), the tall right-arm quick Billy Stanlake was eager to play in the Championship against Nottinghamshire from Thursday (April 29).
Stanlake wouldn’t have faced any issue had he been in the UK to take part in the T20 Blast, which has received relaxations from the government and is deemed an elite sport.
But since the Championship has no such status, Stanlake can’t avoid the isolation period before being allowed to play for Derbyshire.
“We originally thought he would be available for the Nottinghamshire game because he’s come from a secure bubble. However, first-class county cricket is not classed as elite sport.”
Dave Houghton, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, said in a club statement.
“If he was playing Twenty20 tomorrow he would be eligible, but because it’s four-day cricket he has to quarantine for five days, which will go beyond the start of Thursday’s game. We’ll have him ready to play in the away game against Essex [starting on May 13].”
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While the arrangement seems bizarre, the idea behind elite sport exemption was developed to allow short-term sporting events to continue without requiring strict quarantine protocols.
In Football, this has meant the Champions League enjoying such an exemption but not the Premier League. Consequently, those overseas players arriving in the UK to play the County Championship must serve the necessary quarantine period.
The consistency of the criteria in play to identify what sport is elite can be a cause of debate. However, as the domestic 50-over women’s competition – Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy – has also got the government exemption, but despite starting in May, doesn’t finish until September. The tournament, though, has no fixtures scheduled for July or August.
