I Would Want To Make Sure That England Players' Families Can Get There For The Ashes: Andrew Strauss

Former England skipper Andrew Strauss has said that while he doesn’t want the upcoming Ashes to be postponed, it is unrealistic to expect England players to travel to Australia for a grueling tour without the prospect of seeing their families for months.

The Ashes will take place later this year in Australia but concerns regarding the viability of the series going ahead have hit a roadblock with the Australian government refusing to allow English players to travel with their families owing to their Covid-19 protocols.

Strauss is hoping that a compromise will be reached soon and the onus of resolving the issue lies on both ECB and Cricket Australia.

“No, I wouldn’t want a postponement, I would want to make sure that the players’ families can get there,” Strauss said during an event to promote the forthcoming #RedForRuth day at Lord’s as quoted by Cricinfo.

“The last thing anyone wants is players having to make that choice between ‘my family can’t come and therefore I’m not going to go’ or ‘I’m going to go’. he said.

“The solution to this is to find some sort of middle ground between the Australian Government, Cricket Australia, and the ECB, to make it as easy as possible for families to get out there and to have as few restrictions as possible when they are over there.” he said.

The ECB and Players’ Cricket Association (PCA) released a joint statement last month where it affirmed that players’ and staff’s mental health concerns are their topmost priority.

“Of course we all understand, having been through the pandemic here for the last 18 months, that this stuff isn’t easy,” Strauss added. “

“[It requires] setting precedent and all that sort of stuff, but I do think it is unrealistic to expect players to go over there for months on end without their family seeing them, especially with what’s gone on over the last 18 months and all the time they to had spend away from their families in bubbles,’ said Andrew Strauss.

”I think that’s going to be asking them to go one step too far, and some sort of compromise needs to be reached. That’s what everyone should be working towards at the moment, rather than worrying about something that may or may not happen,” he added.

Also Read- Moeen Ali Lends Better Balance To England’s Playing XI: Ian Bell