Oz credibility in Ashes
FIRST came The Invincibles. Now it may be The Invisibles.
Former Ashes fast bowler Steve Harmison believes Australia will have no right to criticise England if, as expected, it is forced to bring an understrength team for the Ashes.
Harmison feels the pressure on England to agree to Australia’s quarantine standards is lessened because the Aussies have hardly been Covid cavaliers themselves.
“I saw a stat this morning about teams that have played
Test matches during the pandemic and Australia have not played a Test away from home,’’ Harmison said on the Talk Sports Cricket Collective podcast.
“So for Cricket Australia and the Australian government to say we are going to lose $200m and we are desperate for England to come (for the Ashes this summer), well, they did not come to the (rugby league) world cup (in England, which was postponed). They have not played a Test away from home (during the Covid era).”
Australia has not played an overseas Test in the two years since it toured England in 2019.
England has played 12 abroad since completing that Ashes series, while India (11),
Pakistan (11), the West Indies (eight) and Sri Lanka (eight) have also been relatively busy offshore.
Australia this year refused to visit South Africa due to Covid issues and had six players withdraw from white-ball tours to Bangladesh and the West Indies.
Harmison says most England players are likely to accept Australia’s offer of a 14day quarantine period on the Gold Coast, which will feature a couple of hours each day out of their hotels to train.
But he says the key question is whether the wives and children of players could endure a fortnight in their rooms and this, he believes, may spark key withdrawals.
“Players will pull out not for the quarantine but the family situation over Christmas,” Harmison said.
“That is a different argument altogether. I think if you have players coming to Australia with 14 days quarantine but they are allowed to train and get ready for England I don’t see a big issue there.’’
While English players are loathe to say it publicly they are fearful that coming to Australia will be a journey back in time to where they were in England a year ago, trapped in hard lockdowns of which they are now mercifully free.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan says bubble life is taking its toll.
“It’s becoming very clear that bio bubbles will not work going forward for cricketers,’’ Vaughan tweeted.
THE Brisbane Heat have appointed Jimmy Peirson their new captain following Chris Lynn’s decision to stand down from the role.