The Chappel-Hadlee Series between Australia and New Zealand set begin later this month had been postponed. Photo:@BLACKCAPS/Twitter.
Cricket Australia has confirmed the revised schedule for its five-game T20 series against Sri Lanka in February following the postponement of the Chappell- Hadlee series against New Zealand earlier this week.
The five-match series from February 11-20 will now be played across three venues, the SCG, Manuka Oval, and MCG.
The second, third, and fourth T20Is have been relocated from Queensland and Adelaide to minimise biosecurity risks by reducing travel across the country.
Nick Hockley, CA CEO, said: “CA will continue to prioritise the health and safety of all players, match officials, staff, fans, broadcasters, and the wider community as we navigate the challenges presented by Covid-19.
“We know that fans in South Australia and Queensland will be disappointed to miss out on these matches and we remain committed to bringing international cricket to all states and territories across the country as safely as possible.
“We thank Sri Lanka Cricket for working closely with us to make the series possible and look forward to five entertaining matches.”
Revised Dettol T20 International series schedule:
February 11: Australia v Sri Lanka, Sydney Cricket Ground, 7:10pm AEDT
February 13: Australia v Sri Lanka, Sydney Cricket Ground, 7:10pm AEDT
February 15: Australia v Sri Lanka, Manuka Oval, 7:10pm AEDT
February 18: Australia v Sri Lanka, Melbourne Cricket Ground, 7:10pm AEDT
February 20: Australia v Sri Lanka, Melbourne Cricket Ground, 5:10pm AEDT
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Chappell-Hadlee series postponed due to New Zealand quarantine requirements
The Chappell-Hadlee ODI series and T20 match set to take place between January 24th to February 9th have been postponed indefinitely amid the uncertainty surrounding New Zealand’s tight border controls and quarantine requirements, Cricket Australia announced today.
The Blackcaps were fixtured to play three ODI’s against Australia, set to take place at Optus Stadium on January 30, Blundstone Arena on February 2nd, and at the SCG on the 5th. A one-off T20 match at Manuka Oval which would have been a rematch of the T20 World Cup final was also scheduled for February 8th.
With the New Zealand government enforcing a hard 10 day mandatory isolation period for all incoming travellers amid the rise of the Omicron variant, Cricket New Zealand could not guarantee the squad would be able to return to the country, according to NZC chief executive David White.
“NZC and CA 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,” White said.
“Unfortunately, we received advice this morning that they could not provide certainty over this.”
It is the third successive summer that Australia and New Zealand have had white-ball fixtures postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and means there are currently no one-day internationals scheduled for the Australian men’s team this summer for the first time in 44 years.
Cricket Australia will continue to work with Cricket New Zealand and look to reschedule the matches later, according to CEO Nick Hockley.
“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,” Hockley 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.”
New Zealand is meant to host Australia for three T20 matches from March 17to 20, however, there is no word on whether these will go ahead at this stage.
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