After the New Zealand government was unable to guarantee any relaxation in mandatory hard quarantine after players return home due to COVID-related restrictions, the Black Caps white ball tour of Australia has been delayed indefinitely
The three-ODI and one Twenty20 International tour was originally scheduled to take place between January 30th and February 8th. However, it has been postponed until further notice due to uncertainty about when players will return to New Zealand.
New Zealand Cricket was unable to secure assurances that the Black Caps players will be allowed to return to the country after the New Zealand government changed its stance and imposed a strict 10-day quarantine. The Black caps are playing this with Bangladesh with new players.
The BLACKCAPS tour to Australia, has been postponed until further Notice due to uncertainty over when the squad will be able to return home to New Zealand,” the country’s cricket board stated in a statement. Australia’s team recently defeated England in the Ashes Test series.
The original departure date for the players was Monday. There was no tour squad.
In anticipation of the February quarantine-free travel between the countries, no managed isolation and quarantine spots (MIQ), had been reserved for players or team management last year.
Cricket Australia is currently having discussions about when the postponed fixtures would be played.
Officials from NZC, Cricket Australia had discussed the possibility to reschedule the matches to push back when the Black Caps would like to return home. This was in the hope that either restrictions will be eased or more spots are available in the country’s overburdened managed isolate and quarantine system (MIQ).
David White, chief executive of NZC, stated that the tour was originally scheduled for last year after the Government indicated its intention to ease MIQ restrictions related to the trans-Tasman frontier.
White stated that Omicron’s arrival prompted a change in strategy by the Government. This resulted in an extremely hard 10-day mandatory isolation period for all incoming travelers.
As the Omicron version of COVID-19 surged across the globe, the New Zealand government delayed plans to reopen the country’s borders.
The government announced Tuesday night a pause in new MIQ slots. This effectively closed the border to all without reservation.
This is the third consecutive summer in which Australia and New Zealand have had their white-ball fixtures delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to reports, South Africa’s next-month tour of New Zealand is still on schedule. MIQ spots have been booked for the tour party. The Tests will be held in Christchurch on February 17, and Wellington on February 25, respectively.
