Melbourne: Their scheduled international tours unlikely to go ahead due to coronavirus pandemic. However, the cricket boards of Australia and New Zealand are exploring new possibilities. They are planning a constant stream of matches. Both cricket boards have conducted discussions on the issue.
Plans floated
Both the Australian and New Zealand governments are planning to open up a corridor to allow a quarantine-free travel. In this context, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive David White discussed the possibility of games with his Cricket Australia (CA) counterpart Kevin Roberts.
“I’ve talked to Kevin Roberts about that. A Tasman bubble would be terrific if it did eventuate,” White was quoted as saying by ‘Sydney Morning Herald’. “…it would present some opportunities going forward. But I think the key is to keep an open mind and be flexible. If opportunities do arise we can take them. We haven’t talked specifics really. What we have talked about is conceptually the possibility of playing each other. That’s where we are at the moment,” said White.
Cricket in limbo
The IPL 2020 has been suspended indefinitely and the Test tour of Bangladesh has also been abandoned. The limited-overs tour of England in July also likely to be called off. So Australia will be without any cricket action this winter. There are also doubts over the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in October-November in Australia.
New Zealand’s home international summer is also uncertain. The Test series against Pakistan and West Indies are likely to be called off. Sri Lanka’s limited overs tour still hangs in balance.
Trans-Tasman rivalry
Australia and New Zealand were locked in a three-game men’s ODI series in March. However, it was called off due to the coronavirus outbreak. This happened after the first game was played behind closed doors at the SCG.