England could make a decision on the Ashes tour on Monday
It’s make-your-mind-up time for England’s big tour Down Under… and a decision on the Ashes could be made on Monday now that players have seen what to expect in Australia
- England’s Test players have been told about quarantine conditions in Australia
- The squad could now come to a decision on the Ashes tour as early as Monday
- A squad will be selected later in the week alongside an England Lions contingent
England’s Test players could make their decisions on whether to embark on this winter’s Ashes tour as early as Monday after being informed of the quarantine and living conditions they can expect in Australia.
Joe Root’s squad, along with the ECB hierarchy, were involved in a video conference call with Cricket Australia on Sunday in which they were given a presentation on the proposals for the 11-week tour.
They were the first details of the Covid-related restrictions the players had seen, despite CA sending a first draft to the ECB on September 24. The governing body opted to keep that to themselves for 10 days to provide time to push back on certain aspects of the tourists’ proposed environment.
The England squad have been given a presenation on what to expect in Australia for the Ashes
Joe Root’s (R) squad discovered some of the finer details in the proposals for the 11-week tour
Now the individuals concerned will be asked to decide whether they find the guidance acceptable — and to report back on their availability as soon as possible.
A squad will then be selected later this week alongside an England Lions party. In all, around 30 players will be heading to Australia. The Test specialists fly out early next month.
England will definitely be without Moeen Ali, who retired from Test cricket last week, and injured fast bowler Jofra Archer, who will be met by the ECB’s medical team on Monday to discuss the check-up scans he had recently on his troublesome right elbow.
Ben Stokes remains out of the game for an indefinite period for mental health reasons.
Last week, England captain Root stopped short of committing to Test cricket’s most venerable series and Jos Buttler said he would not tour if it meant months away from his family.
A squad of around 30 players will be selected later this week after a possible Monday decision
Buttler and his international white-ball team-mates now face the prospect of being on the road for an extra week this winter following the cancellation of the whistle-stop tour of Pakistan.
The ICC’s Covid regulations require teams heading to the Twenty20 World Cup to arrive directly from an isolation period elsewhere, or face a six-day hard quarantine in the UAE.
The ECB have therefore opted to send the squad to Oman today, where they will spend 24 hours in their hotel rooms before being faced with a soft quarantine for six days — one that allows some freedom around the resort.
Next week, Eoin Morgan’s team fly into the UAE, on one of the charter planes the ICC are using between venue hubs, to prepare for their opener against West Indies in Dubai on October 23.
Had they fulfilled their matches against Pakistan on October 13 and 14, it would have been part of a bubble period that allowed them to bridge into the Twenty20 tournament.
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