Last Update on: October 7th, 2021 at 05:53 pm
Former Australian player Shane Warne urged England players not to miss the Ashes Test series in Australia in December.
There were a lot of concerns regarding the England team’s travel to Australia amid the strict restrictions in compliance with the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Cricket Australia has been coordinating with its government and its counterpart England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), to ease the relaxations for England players.
Earlier, ECB had shown its reluctance to postpone the tour on the players’ request and gave them the choice of pulling out of the tour without any subject to consequences.
Just before some players were leaving for Oman to participate in the T20 World Cup, the board said that it remained focused on taking the tour ahead, but the safety of their players will be the top priority, and in case they were unable to find a balanced squad they might postpone the tour.
That’s a holiday for two weeks and not quarantine: Shane Warne
Warne said that he learned that England players will be given lavish facilities during their quarantine period, which should persuade them to tour Australia for the Ashes.
“What I’ve heard is that England are being given a resort for their 14-day quarantine – swimming pool, golf course and everything for their families,” he told talkSPORT.
“Surely, that’s a holiday for two weeks and not quarantine. If they have a resort, have a swim, play golf, have lots of fun with their families and kids in the pool – it’s actually summer, so the sun will shine and will be warm,” he added.
Would be disappointed if any of the England players pulled out of Ashes: Shane Warne
England’s vice-captain Jos Buttler has clearly expressed his unwillingness to tour Australia, citing his workload management which keeps him away from his family.
Warne, who is the leading wicket-taker (195) in the Ashes series of all time, said that he would be disappointed to see any of the England players pull out of the Ashes tour, citing it as the biggest series in the world.
“If they can do all that, then hopefully we will have a full-strength England team out there for the Ashes,” Warne opined.
“I’d be disappointed if any of the England players pulled out because I don’t know why they’d be pulling out. It’s an Ashes series, the biggest in the world.
“You can define your career by what you do in an Ashes series. But, in this day and time, if someone feels it’s going to be too hard on them, you have to accept that,” the 52-year-old added.
The Ashes series is scheduled to commence on December 8, with the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
