Circumstances will dictate venues for India series, says CA

Melbourne, May 29 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) has kept open the possibility of hosting all four Tests involving India in one or two venues if the COVID-19 pandemic forces them to do so. The four Tests of the much-anticipated series will be played at Gabba, Adelaide Oval, MCG and the SCG respectively starting December 3, the CA had said on Thursday.

“That (schedule) assumes that state borders are open to domestic travel. It may be that circumstances dictate that when the time comes maybe we can only use one or two venues, we really don’t know any of that yet,” CA chief executive Kevin Roberts told reporters on Friday as per reports in the media.

Roberts had earlier explained the board’s decision regarding Perth Stadium not being awarded the hosting rights for an India Test during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Roberts stated that Brisbane had only hosted two high-profile matches recently as compared to Perth’s four and that is why Gabba got the nod for a match in the next India series.

“If Perth received the India Test (this year), it would mean that Perth would have hosted two England Tests and two India Tests over the eight-year cycle for a total of four … whereas Brisbane would have only hosted two,” Roberts told reporters as per The West Australian.

“So that would have created an imbalance over the cycle of the Future Tours Programme.

“And in the national interest and ensuring we take high-profile Test matches to cricket fans in Queensland, it was a more well-balanced solution. Assuming, of course, that we could get full crowds in play, that’s when this schedule was determined,” he added.

–IANS

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