Western Australian cricket officials rely on Ashes Test in Perth despite Tasmanian offer

Cricket officials in Western Australia are increasingly concerned about Perth’s chances of continuing to host the Men’s Fifth Ashes Test.

The Western Australian government’s tight border policy and the reluctance of English players to accept biosecurity restrictions outside their quarantine period mean that the fate of the match starting in Perth on 14 January remains unclear.

On Wednesday, Tasmanian Prime Minister Peter Gutwein proposed that the test be transferred to Hobart.

But Christina Matthews, director general of the Western Australia Cricket Federation, claimed Mr Gutwein wasted his time.

Matthews said the decline in COVID-19 cases in NSW helped his organization’s chances for Cricket Australia and the Western Australian government to reach an agreement to cross the closed border.

One likely plan is to reduce the quarantine of players arriving from the Sydney Ashes Test from two weeks to four or five days.

According to the current schedule, there is only a four-day break between the SCG and Perth tests, which means that the match should either be postponed by January 15 or started according to quarantine protocols.

Any agreement on the terms would also require a signature from both Australia and the UK game team.

“Let’s talk somewhere between four and seven days [quarantine], so that ‘s the problem that’ s being addressed, “Matthews said.

“We are still very positive.

“We know things are going in the right direction. We don’t know when the final details will be in bed.

“We are waiting, as we have always done, for the government to approve it.

Matthews said he was aware of all measures to minimize quarantine time, which could provoke criticism because the Western Australian government had embraced the entire COVID-19 pandemic.

But he believed the government would be ready to do anything to ensure the match is played at the 60,000-seat Perth Stadium.

“The Ashes Test is a huge event. As big, if not bigger, than the AFL final on a global scale,” Matthews said.

“I don’t think the government wants to lose it easily. So they’re working really hard to make it happen.

“There is always someone who is dissatisfied with the arrangement and someone who has an unfortunate experience with the arrangement. [border]process.

“We stick to what we do and what we know, and we hope that cricket fans will have the opportunity to take part in the Optus Ashes Test for the first time. [Perth]Stadium.”

AAP / ABC