Cricket: Elijah Taylor COVID breach set to cost Perth international cricket this summer

Desperate negotiations to host international cricket in Perth this summer have failed after the WA government shut down ‘soft hub’ plans following an AFL COVID breach. Check out what the summer schedule might look like here.

Optus Stadium looks almost certain to miss out on international cricket this summer. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The security breach by Sydney Swans AFL player Elijah Taylor has rocked Perth’s cricket summer and sparked a likely early detour to Adelaide.

The Australian and Indian cricket teams are likely to quarantine in Adelaide before the November-December Test series and the Adelaide Oval has zoomed into contention to host the first Test of the summer.

It could even host the first two if the Boxing Day Test cannot be held in Melbourne.

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Australia walks out to field during day four of the second match in the Test series between Australia and India at Perth Stadium on December 17, 2018. Picture: Getty Images

The original intention was for India and Australia to quarantine in Perth but West Australian premier Mark McGowan has clamped down on Cricket Australia’s plans to have Australia and India in a “soft hub’’ in Perth where they could have trained and performed quarantine protocols. Many of the players would have been returning from the IPL in India.

Perth was scheduled to host the first Test of the summer against Afghanistan but that match remains in doubt and may be put back until after Christmas.

There was a feeling Perth could have hosted white ball games between Australia and India before the Test series but that plan will now be aborted.

McGowan told Perth media he did not feel it was acceptable for players to start training in Perth after returning from a high risk location.

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Taylor was sent home after breaching team hub rules in Perth with a secret meeting with his girlfriend and that incident has made WA officials doubly cautious about sporting hubs.

Perth was not originally scheduled to host an Indian Test but Melbourne’s COVID-19 issues brought it into play.

However it now seems unlikely there will be any international play in Perth this year.

The MCG could well be named as the venue for the Boxing Day Test in a schedule to be announced this week but its chances of hosting the Test are fading.