In a welcome sign for cricket fans who would have been worried over the fears of star England players pulling out of the Ashes series, Cricket Australia has sent the ECB proposal for the series that has a lenient bit of Covid-19 containment protocols than it was initially feared, ESPNcricinfo reported.
However, the report did not indicate the level of relaxation CA brass has been able to negotiate with the Australian government but it suggests that a lot fewer players should pull out based on the fresh proposal.
“The ECB has also now received a proposal from Cricket Australia (CA) detailing their plans for England during the Ashes. While the details at this stage are unclear, it is understood the plans - which include details of quarantine arrangements and the requirements for bubbles throughout the tour - are better than had been feared,” said the report.
The fate of the Ashes series scheduled for the end of the year hangs in balance as England players have shown strong reluctance to tour Australia and go through stringent Covid protocols after spending considerable time in biosecure bubbles during the ICC World T20. However, both the ECB and CA have always been confident of the Ashes series taking place as per the pre-decided schedule.