Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine took a jibe at former England skipper Kevin Pietersen for his recent remarks on the likelihood of this winter’s Ashes going ahead.
Pietersen’s comment was in the wake of reports and speculations that the top cream of England players, including Test match captain Joe Root, might not travel Down Under if their families are not allowed with them and there is no leniency on the quarantine and bio-bubble front.
“There is NO WAY I would go to The Ashes this winter. ZERO chance! Unless, the ridiculous quarantine rules were squashed and my family could travel with zero restrictions,”
Pietersen had posted in a tweet, which seems to have been deleted now from his official handle.
Paine didn’t find those remarks amusing from Pietersen and funnily stated, as quoted by Fox Sports:
“If you want to know anything on any topic in the world, you just ask Kevin Pietersen. He is an expert on everything.”
Paine accused Pietersen of trying to hog the limelight and get some “exposure in the media” through his tweet when no England player has publicly come out and said he will not be travelling to Australia for the Ashes in current circumstances.
“If you do want to come and represent your country and play in an Ashes series which Joe Root said ‘that’s what they all want to do, that’s what they dream about doing’ then come and do it. Kevin (Pietersen), mate, leave it to the players. Let them speak,”
Paine said.
But what if Root and company decide not to come? The Australian leader and wicketkeeper-batter insisted that the Ashes will still go ahead as scheduled right now. While Paine is respectful of the tourists and their concerns if they officially have some, he believes “The Ashes are going ahead. The First Test is on December 8th – whether Joe is here or not.”
Paine’s conviction seems to be borne out of the fact that the ‘Ashes’ is still the biggest cricket event in the Australian and English calendar and there will be every effort made on administrators’ part to ensure it goes ahead.
With the T20 World Cup lengthening England players’ winter schedule, it would be understandable if they are wary of more time in stringent bio-bubbles without their family members around.
But Fox Sports reported:
“It’s understood the England players and their families will be able to quarantine in a resort-style facility in Queensland before the opening Test at the Gabba, and not be restricted to just their rooms.”
It is not confirmed whether Paine is in know-how of the arrangements and discussions happening between ECB and CA, but he said it will all be “worked out” by the time the home summer begins.
The Ashes will see Paine and the team’s return to Test cricket since losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to India at home back in January. Australia opted out of their scheduled tours to South Africa and Bangladesh because of concerns around the Covid-19 pandemic and recently called off their standalone home Test versus Afghanistan because of the Taliban regime’s stance against women’s cricket in the deeply conservative nation.
Australia are also yet to play a game in the new cycle of the World Test Championship, having missed out on the final in the previous one by just two points due to an over-rate breach in the series versus India.
