ECB To Give Its Final Decision On The Ashes Tour By End Of This Week, Board Hints At Possibility Of Postponement

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday said that they will decide the fate of the Ashes series by the end of this week and in case they might not have a significant squad to tour Australia they might postpone the tour.

England cricket team’s decision to play the historic Test series later this year in December remains ambiguous as players remain uncertain over the quarantine rules in Australia.

ECB says Ashes could be postponed if they don’t get a significant team

Cricket Australia is 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.

ECB to decide on future of Ashes 2021/22 by end of this week

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.

According to a report by The Telegraph, if there are mass withdrawals from the England camp it would dent the credibility of the Ashes but postponement is a last resort.

“Over the weekend we have been talking to England men’s players and management to provide them with the latest information about the proposed arrangements for this winter’s scheduled Ashes tour,” an ECB statement read.

“We remain in regular and positive dialogue with Cricket Australia over these arrangements as the picture is constantly evolving. With health and wellbeing at the forefront, our focus is to ensure the tour can go ahead with conditions for players and management to perform at their best. We will continue talking to our players this week to share the latest information and seek feedback.

“Later this week the ECB Board will meet to decide whether the conditions in place are sufficient for the Tour to go ahead and enable the selection of a squad befitting a series of this significance,” the statement further added. 

The Ashes is scheduled to begin on December 8 at the Gabba in Brisbane. 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.

Also Read: If You Are Selected On An Ashes Tour, You Should Go: Andrew Strauss To England Players