Gabba test clouded by lockdown in Brisbane

Brisbane will enter a hard lockdown for at least three days, placing fresh doubt on whether the Gabba will host the fourth test.

A cleaner at a quarantine hotel in Brisbane has tested positive for the highly contagious UK variant of Covid19, prompting the state government to take drastic action.

‘‘We are going to go hard and we are going to go early to do everything we can to stop the spread,’’ Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters, announcing restrictions that began at 6pm yesterday.

‘‘This is incredibly serious.

‘‘We are declaring the Greater Brisbane area a hotspot and I’m also asking my colleagues from other jurisdictions to also declare Greater Brisbane a hotspot until we get through this together.’’

There had already been rampant speculation that India will refuse to travel to Brisbane for the final chapter of the four-test series, wanting to avoid the Queensland government’s strict biosecurity protocols.

The final test is slated to start on January 15.

Both squads are due to travel to Brisbane on Tuesday, the day after Brisbane’s stay-at-home restrictions are currently scheduled to end.

‘‘Still talking,’’ Palaszczuk said, when asked about the Gabba test yesterday. ‘‘Still positive talks at this stage.’’ The restrictions placed on residents this weekend will not be nearly as tight as those confronting Australia and India’s test squads, should they arrive in Brisbane as planned.

An overnight report from Press Trust of India suggested a top executive from India’s cricket board had written to Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings, seeking a relaxation of hard quarantine for its players in Brisbane.

‘‘The BCCI’s demand is simple. The players want to mingle with each other inside the hotel bio-bubble like they did in the IPL,’’ the unnamed official was reported as saying.

‘‘They want to have their meals together inside the hotel and also have the team meetings together. That’s not a big demand.’’

The Queensland government has already announced that it will allow cricketers and support staff to mingle in communal areas of the hotel. There will be exemptions to train and play but otherwise the touring parties will be confined to their hotel.

At a minimum, yesterday’s news is a hammer blow to the prospect of a heaving crowd at the Gabba next week.

The Big Bash League could also potentially be affected by yesterday’s development in Brisbane, which is expected to trigger fresh border closures.

Sydney Thunder, Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers have all played in Queensland’s capital since January 2.