ECB planning to create extravagant COVID-19 bubble for Australia series in September

ECB planning to create extravagant COVID-19 bubble: The Australian players are expected to be hosted in a grandeur manner.

If reports doing the rounds are to be believed, England Cricket Board are making wholehearted efforts to make sure that the Australian cricketers enjoy their two-week isolation to the fullest in England.

It is worth mentioning that Australia were originally scheduled to tour England for three ODIs and as many T20Is in July this year. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the tour much like many other cricket tournaments.

While exact fixtures haven’t been confirmed as of now, ECB have shown keen interest in hosting both Pakistan and Australia to provide some respite to their summer. As a result, there are strong chances of Australia playing six white-ball matches in England in September.

ECB planning to create extravagant COVID-19 bubble

According to News Corp, Australia are likely to be based in either of Southampton or Manchester during their isolation period.

With both Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford supporting onsite hotels, it will be easy for the visitors to reside in a bio-secure bubble and train at the same time. It is due to the same reason that West Indies will play their upcoming three-match Test series at these venues.

Talking more about Australia’s COVID-19 bubble, it is being said that ECB have thought of setting up Golf and F1 simulators along with extra-large screens for gaming to ensure that their arch-rivals remain entertained throughout their stay.

Much like West Indies and Pakistan, Australia would also have to visit England well in advance in a bid to adhere to UK government’s prevailing rule regarding people coming in from other countries.

The last time Australia toured England for bilateral limited-overs contests was in 2018 under the captaincy of the then newly-elected Tim Paine.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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