Hopes of Australia’s white-ball tour of England taking place are looking increasingly unlikely after British prime minister Boris Johnson put the brakes on any imminent return for professional sport.
In a TV address on Sunday, Johnson said the coronavirus transmission rate was still too high to significantly ease the lockdown.
Sport in the UK has been at a standstill for almost two months but Premier League clubs are expected to vote on plans to complete the season at neutral venues at a meeting on Monday.
But with Watford, Norwich, Brighton and Aston Villa already voicing opposition to the plan, the prospect of the 2019-20 season being put on hold for an extended period or even voided still remain.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has already postponed the Hundred competition until next year and tentatively pencilled in a July 1 return for the County Championship.
Australia are due to play three Twenty20 and a trio of T20 internationals from July 3-16.
But discussions have taken place with Cricket Australia about the matches potentially being played in early September in place of England’s limited-overs series against Ireland.
(Photo by Andy Kearns/Getty Images)
“We want to encourage more and even unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise,” said Johnson.
“You can sit in the sun in your local park, you can drive to other destinations, you can even play sports but only with members of your own households.”
The message would seem to rule out the prospect of football clubs going back to training anytime soon, which has happened in Spain and Germany, and does not improve the prospects of finishing seasons which were brought to a halt by the public health crisis.
Football continues to grapple with the potential challenges of a return to action, with a third Brighton player and five La Liga players in Spain testing positive for the virus.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Definitely. The two weeks quarantine there mightn’t be so bad, if they were housed in a hotel next to the Southampton ground as reported, but two weeks in a hotel coming back would be painful. (Britain doesn’t actually have quarantine yet, but the government is finally talking about it, a real case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. Though it would be a bit cheeky if they were to impose it on countries like Australia given the mess they are in - surely a case for exemptions with testing on arrival being sufficient, if they were prepared to make such exceptions?)
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
I'd be avoiding England for at least 12 months.
Paul
Roar Guru
Let's say the trip to the UK does go ahead in September, if I was a potential squad member, I'd be thinking seriously about sitting that trip out. Fly over (assuming I'm allowed to leave the country), 2 weeks quarantine, 3 weeks of games tops, 2 weeks of quarantine on return and a fair chance I might still end up being positive for the virus. I'd suggest Kevin Roberts needs to check with the players union before making any decisions about a trip abroad this year. He doesn't want to look like a goose by agreeing, only for the players to refuse to travel.