Cricket Australia Bullish About Hosting India And Touring England Despite COVID-19 Crisis

Even if the current situation outlines no precise date of international cricket resumption, Cricket Australia has done everything within its capacity to keep the fans optimistic. To say the least, Kevin Roberts, the CEO of Cricket Australia (CA), claimed that he would be surprised if they can’t host India for a Test series later this year and tour England before that.

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Cricketing activities all over the world have come to a standstill, owing to the Coronavirus outbreak. The last taste of international cricket the world had was when Australia hosted New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground in March in a One-day international. Ever since all tournaments and bilateral series either stood postponed to a specific date or called off indefinitely.

When asked Kevin Roberts about how certain he is about Australia hosting Virat Kohli’s men, he rated the chances at nine on a scale of 1-10. The boss would be taken aback if the high-profile series ends up in cancellation; however, Roberts didn’t promise the presence of crowds from the beginning.

“I guess there’s no such thing as certainty in today’s world so I can’t say 10 (out of 10), but I’m going to say nine out of 10. “I’d be really surprised if we can’t get the Indian tour away. But I wouldn’t, hand on heart, suggest we’ll have full crowds from the start. We’ll just have to wait and see how that goes.” Roberts said as quoted by India Today.

Cricket Australia on visiting England for limited-overs series:

Australia’s white-ball rubber in England also remained postponed due to highly uncertain conditions about the calendar. But with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) putting their hands up, hoping to resume cricket in July, Cricket Australia has also received hope. Roberts revealed that he had spoken to their counterpart on Wednesday and there was some chance that the tour could take place.

Kevin Roberts went on to say that the visits of West Indies and Pakistan could give them a better picture so that they can avoid endangering the health and safety of their players. Meanwhile, the CEO of Cricket Australia wasn’t bullish about their chances of hosting the World T20 in October. He said that it all depends upon how the situation continues to improve on which they have little clarity as of now and that the decision rests with the ICC.

“Obviously, we won’t jeopardise the safety of the players, but the best test of that is that the West Indian and Pakistan tours … go off without a hitch.”

“We don’t have clarity on that one, yet. But as the situation continues to improve, you never know what might be possible. It’s ultimately a decision for the ICC (International Cricket Council).” he added further.

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