Australia to quarantine in Adelaide on return from Europe

Australia’s limited-overs squad will quarantine at a hotel attached to Adelaide Oval when they return home after their tour of England ends next week, Cricket Australia said on Saturday.

In what looks like a dry run for the arrival of the India squad for a blockbuster Test series later this year, the Australian players will be able to train at Adelaide Oval throughout their mandatory period of collective isolation.

The much anticipated four-Test tour by India around the new year is the highlight of the summer and vital to the finances of Cricket Australia, which have been buffeted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

South Australia has been relatively successful at containing the spread of the new coronavirus and Adelaide has been mooted as one of the more likely destinations for the Indian players when they touch down in Australia.

“We are happy that we are able to assist the Australian men’s cricket team on their return to South Australia and at Adelaide Oval in the Oval Hotel,” Keith Bradshaw of the South Australian Cricket Association said in a statement.

“Our hope is that the Oval Hotel can continue to be used in the successful staging of international cricket this season.”

The statement gave no details on whether there will be other health precautions. Australia requires those returning home from overseas to undergo a 14-day quarantine.

The four Tests against India are scheduled to take place in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney but travel restrictions and lockdowns in place around the country could force a change of plans.

“CA remains in productive conversations with state governments regarding arrival and quarantine arrangements for the Indian men’s team, as well as Australian men’s players returning from the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates,” the statement added.