Wellington To Stage The Remaining Fixtures Involving Australia Men And England Women

New Zealand cricket has announced that the remaining fixtures of Australia’s men T20I series and England’s women would be hosted by Wellington, including the double-header finale. Initially, the final T20I between New Zealand and Australia was to be staged by Mount Maunganui; however, the logistical complications prompted them to shift to Wellington. All the fixtures will occur behind closed doors.

The New Zealand men’s team trained in Wellington on Monday without four Auckland-based cricketers, namely Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Phillips. With Auckland entering lockdown due to the emergence of new COVID-19 cases, the aforementioned players await their tests, having briefly returned home following the second T20I in Dunedin.

Batsman Devon Conway revealed that they arrived at the hotel yesterday and stayed in a small bubble, creating a secure environment for themselves. The South African-born cricketer admitted that it does disrupt their processes; however, it’s a smart move to keep themselves safe and gives an extended opportunity to play cricket without crowds.

“Yesterday we got summoned to go to the hotel and stay in a small bubble together to create that secure environment for ourselves. Those little late changes do put spanners in the works but it’s a smart move so we are playing our part in being safe. At least it gives us an extended opportunity to play cricket even though there aren’t going to be any crowds,” Conway said as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo.

Ashton Agar puts faith in Cricket Australia and New Zealand cricket:

Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar is well aware of the need to quarantine even though people don’t like the thought of it. The Western Australian admitted that a lot of cricketers have already served six weeks of isolation and have a lot more coming up in the upcoming weeks. Simultaneously, Agar displayed faith in Cricket Australia and New Zealand cricket that they have players’ well-being in their best interests.

“It’s not the ideal situation doing quarantine, no one really likes the thought of quarantine. You always have to prepare a little bit, that thought is never easy. There’s a lot of guys who have done up to six weeks of isolation and quarantine, maybe more, and they’ve probably got more coming up. But we have really good support around us. We have faith in Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket that they have the players’ physical and mental health in their best interest,” Agar stated.

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