Reports: England Players Consider Pulling Out Of The Ashes If Families Not Allowed To Travel; To Participate In A Discussion With The ECB

England cricket players are likely to participate in a discussion with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) regarding the Ashes tour. England’s campaign of the away Ashes series begins on the 8th of December, with the first of the five Tests starting in Brisbane. According to BBC, a few players have considered pulling out of the series.

With Australia imposing strict COVID-19 protocols, England’s all-format players face the prospect of spending four months without their families. The players are likely to leave England around the 18th of September and the final Ashes Test ends on the 18th of January. Before competing for the urn, the Three Lions will play the T20 World Cup and T20 series in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Hence, it would be a long time before they have a reunion with their close ones.

Nevertheless, Cricket Australia remains optimistic of reaching a solution as there are still a few months before England arrive. A Cricket Australia spokesperson claimed the tourists would not come down under before November and that they would follow the same process as they did against India last summer. “It’s only June and England are not due to arrive until November. We’ll be going through the same process we did with India last summer,” the official told Sydney Morning Herald.

Former England cricketers in support of players pulling out of the Ashes:

Meanwhile, former England cricketers like Michael Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen, and Nasser Hussain have sympathized with the players, understanding their troubles. Micheal Vaughan feels that four months without families is entirely unacceptable, while Pietersen also backs the cricketers’ move if they skip the series.

Nasser Hussain stated that players opting out of the bubble has his full support as they have spent enough time within the bubble. The former English skipper believes players play their best cricket with a happy mind instead of being locked inside a hotel room, missing their families.

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