‘Completely inflexible’: WA won’t stop whingeing about Ashes snub

WA is still seething about being stripped of its Ashes Test and now it has taken aim at Cricket Australia’s handling of the situation.

Western Australian Police Minister Paul Papalia has accused Cricket Australia (CA) of being “completely inflexible” and a “pretty poor organisation” after it announced the Perth would not be hosting the fifth Ashes Test.

On Monday CA stripped the Perth of the fifth Test scheduled for January 14, which was expected once WA Premier Mark McGowan said all players, staff and broadcast personnel would need to quarantine for 14 days after flying in from Sydney, where the fourth Test is being played.

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“While absolutely every effort was made to ensure the final Test match of the series could be staged in Perth, border controls, quarantine requirements and the complexities of staging a five-Test series in a tight schedule have meant it is unfortunately not possible to align the respective priorities of the WA Government, CA and WA Cricket,” Cricket Australia said.

The WA government was slammed when it launched an audacious last-ditch bid to steal the second Test from Adelaide.

“If cricket isn’t able to meet our border rules for the fifth Test in Perth, then they should move the second Test to Perth instead,” Perth Sport and Recreation Minister Tony Buti told The West Australian.

“It’s a no-brainer. As long as Queensland stays Covid-free then the teams can fly in ahead of the pink ball day-night Test, which is due to start on December 16.

Now another WA government minister has laid into Cricket Australia, arguing it wasn’t as accommodating as it had been with other sports dealing with Covid in Australia.

Police Minister Paul Papalia cited the AFL Grand Final as an example of how sporting events could still go ahead while still complying with Covid restrictions.

WA is still upset about losing the Perth Ashes Test. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“We’ve always been completely upfront the health and safety of the state and the Western Australian people is the primary driver for government decisions around those matters,” Papalia said.

“Cricket Australia knew all along, they were completely inflexible.

“You expect that they (Cricket Australia) could have adopted a bit more of a flexible approach like the AFL did.

“They responded to the threat as it occurred, the shifting circumstances.

“Cricket Australia could have done that. They were (a) pretty poor organisation in that regard.”

Papalia’s comments echo the sentiments of Dr Buti, who defended his move to try and pinch the second Test from Adelaide.

“We believe that it was an appropriate request and offer to move the second Test to Perth,” he said.

“That could have been done. As we know, the AFL were able to reschedule events very quickly. We believe Cricket Australia could have done it if they really wanted to.”

“I think it was a very common sense suggestion and obviously over the weekend when we were receiving signals that the fifth Test possibly was not going to be played here, we put it back to them in a more forceful manner but unfortunately they decided that it won’t be held here

“We remain unapologetic in our strict border requirements and quarantine arrangements which has served Western Australia very very well for two years.”

WA Premier Mark McGowan has held firm on keeping the border closed. Picture: Jackson Flindell The West Australian

It comes as WA continues to be criticised for its attempt to swap the second and fifth Tests with South Australia.

Sports broadcaster Gerard Whateley said once WA made the choice to close its borders to protect the state from Covid, it had no right to make its bold proposal.

“I absolutely respect Western Australia’s decisions on a health front the whole way through, but if that wasn’t the greatest case of ‘have our cake and eat it too’, I mean fair dinkum,” Whateley said on SEN.

“You are absolutely entitled to keep the borders closed and lock us out forevermore if that’s the choice you want to make societally, culturally and politically, and maybe you should just get on with the business of seceding.

“But, to then say, ‘We’ll just take that Test, because we can make that work’, no, if you want a Test there are ways to make that work, but the choice, and I would say rightly, has been made to protect the community on that front.

“But don’t then come and go, ‘Can we just pinch Adelaide’s Test, we can make that work’.

“The words bugger off came to mind.”

The fifth Ashes Test has been put out to tender by Cricket Australia and a decision is expected to be made by the end of the week.

Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart are the three frontrunners to host the match, which is expected to be a day-night Test.