England players could miss part of Ashes series if families are refused entry to Australia

With the prospect of not seeing their families for over four months, the Ashes are now under threat as key stars could pull out due to strict travel restrictions.

Jos Buttler is one of the stars that may pull out of the Ashes. Picture: Getty Images

A number of England players could miss some of the Ashes series in Australia this winter if their families are not allowed to travel because of Covid restrictions.

Australia has a cap on the number of non-nationals it is allowing into the country each month and unless restrictions change, it seems certain that only players and team support staff will be allowed in for the duration of the Ashes tour, which runs from the end of November to the end of January.

Jos Buttler is one of the stars that may pull out of the Ashes. Picture: Getty Images

England’s multi-format players, such as Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow and Sam Curran, could be playing in the T20 World Cup in the UAE from mid- October to mid-November and will then fly straight to Australia for the Ashes.

This means that they face the prospect of not seeing their families for more than four months - and it could be even longer if England take a full-strength squad on their limited-overs tours to Pakistan and Bangladesh in late September and early October.

The England management team had hoped to take their best teams on these tours as they are the last opportunities for Eoin Morgan’s team to play T20s before the World Cup.

The Times understands that a number of England players have told the management that they are not willing to be without their families for that amount of time and would have to consider withdrawing from some or all of the Ashes tour unless a resolution can be found.

The first Ashes Test starts on December 8 and the series runs until January 18. Under normal circumstances, players’ families would fly to Australia for about a month over the Christmas period.

Stokes, Wood, Buttler and Chris Woakes have young children, with Buttler expecting his second child in mid-September and facing the prospect of not seeing his newborn after it is three weeks old until it is five months old.

The situation will affect more players than it might have, with England deciding to take a larger than usual squad to the T20 World Cup - about 18 to 20 players - and effectively having two full teams in Australia, with a reserve squad also expected to travel.

The ECB faces a real problem, not of its own making. It clearly wants the best squads for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes but has also made it clear that players’ mental health is a top priority and recognises that months of life in hotel bubbles and living without families is simply not a realistic prospect, nor the actions of a responsible employer.

Talks with Cricket Australia about the situation continue but it is the Australian government who set the stringent rules and it is unlikely to show any flexibility for wives and girlfriends of players.

Given that some of their own expats have been refused entry to see their families, it would be a political hot potato to then let families of England players in.

Originally published as England players could miss part of Ashes series if families are refused entry to Australia