Jofra Archer’s biosecurity breach for visiting his dog a warning for Australian players
England cricket bosses have thrown the book at Jofra Archer for putting the game’s resumption at risk. Josh Hazlewood says Australian players won’t make a similar silly mistake with a tour to the UK on the horizon.
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Josh Hazlewood is adamant Australia’s cricketers will not follow Jofra Archer to the doghouse and put the game’s $360 million revival ticket in jeopardy.
Archer was axed by England and fined an undisclosed amount for threatening hundreds of millions of dollars in broadcast revenue by breaking strict biosecurity conditions … to visit his dog.
As Australia’s 26-man squad start to finetune preparations for their early September UK tour, Hazlewood has declared Archer’s bizarre breach serves as a timely wake-up call for players about what is at stake for breaking the bubble.
“Absolutely. I think Jofra is one example and there’s been examples in the NRL and AFL as well. Just by hugging a mate in the crowd you miss a week,” said Hazlewood.
“So we’ve got to keep those strict guidelines in place to get the sport to go ahead. So we’ll obviously learn from that mistake.”
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Hiring a private jet to get from Australia to England may cost cricket bosses several hundreds of thousands of dollars alone, while every T20 and ODI international the old enemies are scheduled to play will be worth millions to broadcasters, not to mention the multimillion-dollar bill for biosecurity.
In throwing the book at Archer, England cricket bosses have stressed that if a biosecurity stuff-up derailed the season, it would cost world cricket $360 million.
The strict discipline Australia must exercise in the UK will be good practice for the home summer against India, which is itself worth over $300 million to the game.
The smallest slip-up in the COVID-19 era could have dire consequences for the future of the sport.
ICC officials were due to hold another meeting on Monday night, and there was some chance an official announcement could be made to cancel the World Cup.
Star fast bowler Hazlewood is a walk-up in Australia’s Test and ODI formats, but just on the outer when it comes to T20 cricket.
The postponing of the World Cup for at least another 12 months would give him an IPL and a BBL and possibly several internationals to restate his claim for T20 selection.
“The further it gets pushed back, the more it gives me a chance to play that format of the game and hopefully do well,” he said.
“So there are positives for me I guess.”
Cricket Australia are currently negotiating with the Federal Government for players to be able to train while in quarantine when they return from the UK.
Hazlewood said if the Government rejects the request it could have major impacts on the preparations of fast bowlers for the Indian summer.
“As long as we can train during that period, it‘ll be OK. If it’s when we come back, that we can’t train during that two-week period - as fast bowlers, we’ll have built up loads and two weeks on the sidelines really hurts us heading into a summer of Test cricket,” he said.
“So that‘s probably the key and if we can get training done while inquarantine it should be fine.”
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Australia’s cricketers are set to embark on a COVID-induced odyssey which will see them play England in September, then share a private jet with arch rivals Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer to an IPL in Dubai.
An official announcement that the Twenty20 World Cup has been postponed could be made within the next 48 hours, as details emerge that reveal Australia’s white-ball tour of the UK and a supercharged IPL will happen in-sync to consolidate the amount of time stars are in quarantine.
News Corp Australia understands that the proposed dates for Australia’s UK tour are three T20s on September 4, 6 and 8, and then three ODIs on September 10, 12 and 15.
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After the series a private charter plane would then fly the team home, with a few English stowaways on board for a refuelling stop in Dubai where the IPL stars would disembark for a planned tournament in the United Arab Emirates.
Superstars like Steve Smith, David Warner, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell and fierce rivals Stokes and Archer would then quarantine for two weeks in the UAE before the IPL kicks off in either late September or early October.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Australian team, not playing in the IPL, would continue on home, where Cricket Australia is hopeful players would be able to observe their two-week quarantine period at a hotel/training facility where they would be able to keep in shape for the summer rather than be locked in their rooms.
IPL stars would also have to go into a quarantine/training arrangement in Australia at the conclusion of the tournament, which could be a very tight squeeze before the start of the international summer.
Interestingly, the Australian team aren’t expected to have to serve a full two-week quarantine flying into the UK.
Players would still be living in a strict biosecurity bubble from the start of their stay to the end, but they won’t have to leave Australia until August 24 or 25, cutting down on the amount of time athletes and staff will be away.
The UK Government is not demanding a two-week quarantine of Australians, so Justin Langer’s team look like enjoying a normal 10-day lead-in to the first T20 on September 4 – with matches tipped to be split between Southampton and Manchester.
In fact, the most complicated part of the trip for Cricket Australia might be getting the party all in one Australian city to depart together.
The situation in Victoria makes the logistics tricky for assembling the team in advance, and CA may need to ask for exemptions similar to what the AFL and NRL have had to do.
Marcus Stoinis said operating in a bubble is far more normal for cricketers than it is for football teams – given the strict conditions aren’t far different from how they have to operate in normal times in countries like India and Bangladesh.
“It’s true. A lot of the time during the IPL you’re in your hotel most of your time and you go to the ground for games,” said Stoinis.
“We’ve had to learn to adapt to all those sort of things and I’m sure we’ll be fine.
“Obviously (quarantining) is not ideal. But it’s just part of what the world is looking like at the moment.
“It’s just going to be something that we all have to adapt to and we’ll make it fun.”
India is being overwhelmed by the coronavirus and are planning to shift the IPL to the UAE where there are better hospital and medical facilities available in the event of an emergency.
Australia’s tour of the UK is yet to be confirmed, but a preliminary squad has already been picked.
Originally published as Jofra Archer’s biosecurity breach for visiting his dog a warning for Australian players