England cricketers are all set to discuss and finalise the travelling plans for their family members during the coming winter’s Ashes tour Down Under with the England and Wales Cricket Board .
According to BBC, some players are even considering pulling out of the series in Australia if their families are not allowed to travel along by the ECB.
The players will be putting forward their concerns to the ECB via the Professional Cricketers’ Association. Both the parties are in for some crucial discussions this week.
Since the top cream of England players are staring at a period of around four months away from home, starting with the T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman, they want their wives and children to accompany them.
The Ashes doesn’t begin until December 8. But those who are also part of the T20 World Cup in the Middle East will have to leave England in September only. England travel to Bangladesh, Pakistan before the T20 World Cup, which concludes just ahead of the Ashes.
Family members have been allowed on previous Ashes tours, but the circumstances are now different because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Australia has had some of the most stringent protocols in place due to the viral outbreak, the ECB doesn’t yet have the clarity whether they can green-signal family members touring with the men’s cricketers.
An update on the same from CA and the Australian government will come only next month, before which the ECB would not be in a position to take a final decision.
The situation in Australia is quite complicated, as different states have tended to have different lockdown restrictions in place since the pandemic started.
When India travelled Down Under last winter, their entire tour itinerary was reshuffled once the Queensland government-imposed uncompromised lockdown and quarantine restrictions.
Instead of Brisbane, the limited-overs series began in Sydney and the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was played in Adelaide.
