Australia v New Zealand: Auckland game shifted to Wellington, fans to be locked out, due to COVID-19 outbreak

A snap lockdown in Auckland due to a mystery COVID-19 case has forced Australia’s marquee T20 clash with New Zealand to be shifted and fans to be locked out when the tour resumes.

Marcus Stoinis superb innings couldn’t prevent the Aussies from another loss to Xew Zealand. Picture: AFP

Fans will be locked out when Australia’s tour of New Zealand resumes on Wednesday after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern activated a snap seven-day lockdown in Auckland and placed the entire country on high alert.

The revelation of a mystery COVID-19 case triggered the swift response which on Saturday night had Aussie players and coaches bracing for the trans-Tasman travel bubble to burst, meaning they would have to complete another 14 days in hotel quarantine when they fly home.

The Aussies and Black Caps were due to fly from Wellington to Auckland on Thursday for Friday night’s match at Eden Park’s 50,000-seat stadium. But that marquee fixture has been scrapped.

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The teams will instead play back-to-back games in Wellington on Wednesday and Friday – both without fans.

They will then travel to Mount Maunganui for Sunday’s fifth and final fixture, where the Black Caps will await government advice before making a ruling on whether crowds can return in Kane Williamson’s hometown.

Australia and New Zealand’s T20 match in Auckland on Friday night has been switched to Wellington.

New Zealand leads the five-match series 2-0.

Victoria, NSW and Tasmania had already declared Auckland a coronavirus hotspot before Saturday night’s bombshell announcement that the city would enter lockdown at 6am on Sunday.

That had Cricket Australia reluctant to travel to Auckland for the fourth T20 because visiting the city would likely result in another bout of quarantine when players fly home on March 8.

CA was also exploring an itinerary change because its players were booked to depart through Auckland on a Qantas jet on March 8.

But Saturday night’s country-wide escalation to “alert level two” restrictions means the Aussies could be forced into hotel quarantine regardless of whether they have visited Auckland.

The squad spent 14 days in quarantine under military supervision at Chateau on the Park Hotel when they arrived in Christchurch on February 7.

They were allowed outside to train together – but that was it, even eating their meals alone.

Australia’s stars could face another stint in hotel quarantine when they return from New Zealand. Picture: Getty Images

Players such as captain Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson and Josh Philippe have already completed eight weeks in hotel quarantine and six months in biosecurity bubbles since departing for England last August.

Finch repeatedly thanked the New Zealand government for its hospitality in Christchurch and none of the players complained about the quarantine requirements upon arrival.

But returning for another bout of hotel isolation in Australia would not only be challenging mentally, it would also extend the talent drain in the Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup.

Auckland’s Valentine’s Day cluster spread to 12 people in 15 days before last night’s mystery case emerged.

Even before that nerves remained high because a person who later returned a positive test went to work at an Auckland KFC last week when they were supposed to be isolating.

TEAMMATES BACK FINCH AMID CALLS FOR AXE

Aaron Finch’s teammates are rallying around their embattled captain with Australia on the brink of a third-straight T20 series defeat and Finch seemingly in the firing line just six months out from the World Cup.

Former selector Mark Waugh said vice-captain Matthew Wade, WA captain Mitch Marsh or Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques should lead the Aussies in India if Finch’s form fails to improve in New Zealand.

The Aussies – trailing the Black Caps 2-0 in the five-match series – have not lost three consecutive T20 series since George Bailey was captain in 2012-13.

Finch looked bereft of confidence in his 12 (14) on a batting paradise in Dunedin on Thursday.

He left two balls from Ish Sodhi and then heaved the next one straight to Glenn Phillips.

After 11 innings in 2021 the 34-year-old is averaging 7.8 and he has now travelled 32 T20 games without a half-century.

But Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams almost pulled off a miraculous rescue mission, creaming 92 runs off 40 balls before both six-hitters holed out to cool Kiwi Jimmy Neesham in the final over.

Stoinis backed Finch to fire after the four-run loss.

“No one’s immune to (scrutiny), no matter who you are. I’m sure it does get to him a little bit,” Stoinis said. “Personally I just see it as a long-term picture, because come the World Cup we need him firing.

“He’s arguably the best Twenty20 batter in the world over a long period of time.

“His record is so good, he’s our captain. In our heads we just trust him.

“He didn’t have the IPL he wanted, but then he came back and made (114, 60 and 75 against India) in the ODIs. We’ve got his back, Finchy.”

Marcus Stoinis was unable to lift the Aussies to an unlikely victory. Picture: Getty Images

The scenario is similar to 2019, when Australia trailed India 0-2 with Finch in the gun approaching the ODI World Cup.

Finch responded with a brutal 93 in Ranchi, which sparked a 10-game winning streak as the Aussies pulled off a remarkable 3-2 series win in India.

Waugh – who was a selector when Australia sacked Finch as captain on the eve of the last T20 World Cup – said runs, again, were the only currency.

“It doesn’t matter (that he’s captain). There’s a lot of players who could captain,” Waugh said.

“His primary job is to score runs, particularly when you are opening. That is the key spot in T20 cricket and we’ve got a lot of good players on the periphery to open.

“So he’ll know it – no batsmen is immune from not being dropped if you’re not scoring runs.”

Should the Aussies boldly move on Finch for the World Cup, the most logical restructure would see Matthew Wade and David Warner open, with Steve Smith remaining at No. 3 and Glenn Maxwell at No.4.

But Wade and Warner are both left-handers, which contradicts Australia’s clear preference to open with a left-hander and a right-hander in white-ball games.

There appeared to be little chance of a thrilling finish in Dunedin when Mitchell Santner jagged 3-1 in his final four balls – until the Stoinis-Sams partnership morphed into catching practice for the crowd at University Oval.

Stoinis has now posted seven half-centuries and one century for Australia – all soured by defeat.

Thursday’s 78 (37) was eerily similar to 2017, when Stoinis smacked 146 not-out (117) at Eden Park but ran out of partners in a six-run loss.

“I’ve been in for quite a few of them (heartbreaking losses),” Stoinis said.

“I was just saying to Mitchy Marsh, ‘Don’t worry – our time will come and we’ll be on the other end of these in the future’.”

Sams punched a Trent Boult delivery in the 18th over so straight that it struck umpire Chris Gaffaney on the legs, restricting a potential boundary to one run.

Josh Philippe (45 off 32) holed out to deep cover against Santner and then golden ducks for Ashton Agar and Mitchell Marsh created a crash that looked beyond repair.

But Sams thumped four sixes in five balls and Stoinis showed why he should be locked into Australia’s middle order in what was the best seventh-wicket partnership in T20I history.

Australian captain Aaron Finch looked out of sorts out in the middle. Picture: AFP

Philippe kickstarted his international career with a streaky six against rich IPL teammate Kyle Jamieson, and then a leg-side flick for another six two balls later.

The Steve Smith lookalike – batting in Smith’s traditional No. 3 spot – is blessed with all the shots, and the 360-degree batsman showed off plenty of them.

The Aussies corrected their death bowling with “Operation Yorker” proving a success as Jhye Richardson and Kane Richardson nailed some perfect wide ones to limit New Zealand after 240-plus looked on the cards.

Neesham – the ideal middle-order batsman that Australia craves – cracked his first three balls for six, and then finished the innings with his sixth maximum.

ALL POWER TO ASHTON

Australia has told Ashton Agar he is going to be its wildcard in the powerplay at this year’s T20 World Cup, with leg-spinner Adam Zampa also expected to bowl early overs. It is likely that Mitchell Starc, Patrick Cummins and Agar, 27, will share the new ball in India, with Kane Richardson the death over specialist.

Agar is a spin bowler, but the ball can also swing early for him and he was given the second over on Thursday, leaking just two runs in what was the most economical over of the innings. Finch flipped through five bowlers in the first overs and then turned back to Agar to close out the powerplay.

But Martin Guptill’s patience ran out as he lofted a glorious six off Agar, who returned on Monday 82 days after tearing his calf.

Adam Zampa picked up Kane Williamson’s wicket. Picture: Getty Images

KOHLI STOPPER TARGETS KING KANE

Adam Zampa – the man with the best white-ball record in the world against Virat Kohli – has been identified as the best match-up for Kane Williamson this series, and it finally paid off on Thursday.

Zampa’s wrong-un drew an inside edge on to Williamson’s stumps for the leg-spinner who has taken 2-39 off 43 balls to Kane in ODI cricket, and 1-16 (15) in T20 international cricket.

Zampa also knocked over Williamson in the 2016 IPL, when he took a career-best 6-19. His come-at-me style powered by self-confidence is the right tonic for taking down the world’s best.