Cricket Australia Condenses Sheffield Shield, One-Day Cup Due To COVID-19

Cricket Australia on Wednesday announced a reconfigured schedule for the 2020-2021 domestic season by condensing the Sheffield Shield and One-Day Cup due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The restrictions placed to stop the spreading of the virus have taken a toll on the players and the tournaments getting condensed. The bio bubble won’t be a long term solution for the pandemic and has been a concern for the athletes now.

The Sheffield Shield will consist of eight home-and-away rounds followed by a final starting on April 15. The first phase of the competition took place in a bio-secure hub in Adelaide, during which Western Australia, Tasmania, and South Australia played four games while Queensland and New South Wales played three games and Victoria played two games. The remaining matches are to be hosted if the public health is conducive to doing so.

Cricket Australia Reveals The Reason Behind Condensing Tournament

Cricket Australia had revealed the reason behind condensing the tournaments being the management responsibilities associated with the players, officials, and staff to conduct a full tournament in these tough times. The One-Day Cup will be played over five rounds with the final to be held on April 11. The tournament will be played with the traditional home and away format expecting no restrictions between the state borders.

“recognition of the extra requirements and responsibilities placed upon players, officials and staff on account of the coronavirus pandemic and related bio-security protocols,” revealed Cricket Australia on condensing tournament.

“It also ensures that we will see a full Women’s National Cricket League schedule executed over the coming months,” said Drew Ginn, Cricket Australia’s Executive General Manager High Performance.

Brendan Drew Welcomes Australian Players Availablity Happily

Brendan Drew, ACA General Manager Cricket Operations and Player Relations explained the importance of domestic cricket in paving the way for international performances. He was happy to see the availability of Australian players to the domestic circuit and added that it will be a great test for both the international as well as domestic players.

“From the outset, the players have maintained that domestic cricket is a vital cog of the Australian game and we are pleased that a balanced 2021 schedule will be able to support these competitions over the coming months.”

“And, with a number of Australian players available for both the male and female domestic competitions over the coming months it provides a great opportunity for domestic cricketers to test themselves against their Australian counterparts,” Brendan Drew told.

Cricket Australia has postponed the tour to South Africa due to the corona issues going around in the country.