New Zealand tour of Australia postponed over Covid rules

Australia’s upcoming summer schedule of limited-overs series will only feature Sri Lanka after New Zealand postponed tour to Australia amid tight border controls and quarantine requirements in NZ, to control the virus outbreak, as the Kiwis return is uncertain.

All the travellers visiting New Zealand had to go through a mandatory 10-day quarantine period, and the government could not guarantee that the national team would be able to stay in quarantine facilities.

The World Test Champions and World Cup runner-up in ODI and T20 were scheduled to arrive in Australia next week for three ODIs and a one-off T20I.

The three-match ODI series was supposed to be a part of Ross Taylor’s international farewell.

The tour was scheduled between January 24 and February 9 with its first match in Perth.

Australia also offered to extend the length of the tour so the Kiwis can return home when there is availability. However, the NZ government said it had no capacity to fulfill the request.

“NZC and CA (Cricket Australia) had explored a proposal to expand the tour and to push out the date on which the squad might return to New Zealand, in the hope that might be more achievable for the government,” CA boss Nick Hockley said in a statement released on Wednesday afternoon.

“But we received advice this morning that they could not provide certainty over this, either.”

“We are extremely disappointed that we won’t be able to play the scheduled matches against New Zealand as planned, however, we will continue to work with New Zealand Cricket to reschedule the series,” Nick said.

“We thank NZC, who made every effort to make the series happen, however, because they were unable to get certainty over return quarantine arrangements, it is simply just not possible at this time.

“We know fans will be disappointed and thank them for their understanding given the unique circumstances that the global pandemic presents for everyone.

“We look forward to welcoming Sri Lanka to Australia next month and will confirm the schedule for that series as soon as possible.”