The Ashes: COVID, Quarantine and Joe Root - Answering the Key Questions
Nov 02, 2021
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Decision time for England players is here as Cricket Australia are set to reveal the playing conditions for the Ashes tour by England by the end of the week. For several months, there has been speculation as to whether the Ashes tour will go ahead with many England players hinting at withdrawing from the tour. Even the Prime Ministers of the two countries have conferred on the matter which appears to have come to a head.Uncertainty About Touring Conditions in Australia
By the end of the week, the touring conditions are likely to be known by the players who will have to use the weekend to decide whether to take part in the series that is scheduled to begin on 8 December. However, there are no clear answers to the questions as to which players will feature in the England squad and what changes may be needed to ensure that the five Test matches go ahead as scheduled.
Pandemic Blues in 2020 Season
No other international team has played as much cricket during the COVID era as the England men's squad. They have probably enjoyed a level of activity unsurpassed by any other international team in any sporting endeavour. Matches held in England in the home summer of 2020 entailed stringent bio-secure 'bubbles.' In the winter that followed, the England players had to cope with similar conditions. The COVID-related scare caused the players to cut short a tour of South Africa, while restrictions faced on the tours of Sri Lanka and India preceded a policy of rest and rotation adopted by the ECB.
Test Match Cancelled in 2021
In the home summer of 2021, with the end of lockdowns in the UK, the ECB struggled to find a playing eleven against the touring Pakistan side after a whole team was quarantined. That was followed by the cancellation of a test match on India's tour of England in the wake of COVID fears within the Indian squad.
Concerns About Another Round of Bubbles
England players began to be concerned in July about the possibility that they would not be accompanied by their families on the Ashes tour. Those concerns have given way to questions about pandemic-related restrictions the players are likely to face during the whole of the Ashes tour. Having had a full quota of matches played during the pandemic, England players are less than enthused about another round of bubbles, isolations, and quarantines. They fear leaving a relatively free UK for an Australia in the grip of uncertainty.
The Situation in Australia
Australia boasts some of the world's most stringent COVID-19 protocols. The situation is further complicated by their political system that allows each state to have its own regulations. Planning a series becomes even more difficult, especially when each of the five Tests will be played in a different state. As planned, England will serve out their first period of isolation on Gold Coast, in Queensland, before going on to play the first Test match at the capital city Brisbane's Gabba. Apart from England players' questions relating to living restrictions and quarantines, there are unanswered doubts about the possible venues of the five Tests, allowing for the possibility of hosting one than one match at a single venue.
Is Joe Root Going?
The England squad have not been afforded much comfort from the fact that skipper Root is yet to confirm whether he will go on the tour. Root is himself the father of two young children and will have his own reservations about the restrictions in Australia. However, Root is on record as saying that he was desperate to lead England on the tour. England will need Root to lead them from the front. He is currently the world's top-ranked Test batsman, having scored 1455 runs including six tons already in 2021.
Will Other Players Go?
England's players have become more frustrated without much information provided to them about the likely playing conditions on the Ashes tour. Eventually, each player must make an individual call. Multi-format players likely to feature in the T20 World Cup as well as the Ashes would need to be away for nearly four months. However, players are likely to be accompanied by their families during the World Cup in the UAE. Test players not involved in the World Cup will get some breathing time at home before the tour Down Under. With a simultaneous Lions tour of Australia scheduled, England will probably have a huge roster of players to choose from, assuming that the playing conditions of the tour will be acceptable to most players.
What Happens Next?
Despite the initial fears of the ECB, they have received better plans for the tour than expected from Cricket Australia. The CA has been given a deadline to provide clarifications on various points raised by the ECB. The England players are likely to be furnished with tour plans by the ECB by the weekend. Cricket observers in England are cautiously optimistic that the tour will go ahead with a full-strength squad led by Root.