Covid-19 scare grips BBL, Five matches moved out of Perth

Sydney : In all five matches of the Big Bash League including Perth Scorchers versus Hobart Hurricanes scheduled to be played at Optus Stadium, Perth on December 20, will be relocated to alternate venues after a Glory player tested positive for Covid-19, Cricket Australia confirmed on Thursday.In a short statement, the Glory confirmed the news, with an announcement made just hours later that the team’s next two games were being postponed.”Perth Glory can confirm that a member of its … A-League playing squad has tested positive for Covid-19,” the Glory statement said.The Perth Scorchers lost their remaining five home games after the government of Western Australia (WA) issued the guidelines for border restrictions.The state had earlier lost its right to host the fifth Ashes Test, because Cricket Australia and the WA government could not agree on quarantine arrangements.In a statement, the Big Bash League said it had to decide to move the upcoming games because, from Saturday, both New South Wales and Victoria will be classified as ‘extreme risk’ by WA.

It said the games would not have been possible because all teams would have travelled through either New South Wales or Victoria in the 14 days before their games in Perth.The Scorchers’ match against the Hobart Hurricanes on Dec 20 has been moved to Bellerive Oval. Two other games, against the Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars later this month, have been moved to Docklands Stadium.Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s General Manager of Big Bash Leagues, said, “We understand this is a disappointing decision for the Scorchers’ passionate fan base, but in the current environment we want to provide certainty for members, fans, players, match officials, and staff. While our preference was to play these matches in Perth, this was simply not possible under the current arrangements when all factors are taken into account.”WA Cricket CEO Christina Matthews said she wanted nothing more than to play those matches at home.”We have worked tirelessly over the past few months to secure as many BBL matches as possible,” she said. “Unfortunately, the border restrictions and the League’s inability to change fixtures has meant we have had to relocate our home matches to continue our season.”