Cricket Australia seeks urgent clarification on whether India will boycott Brisbane

Cricket Australia is seeking urgent clarification from the BCCI to determine whether India intend to boycott the Brisbane Test.

Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane has refused to say if the team will fly to Brisbane

Cricket Australia is seeking urgent clarification from the BCCI to determine whether India intend to boycott the Brisbane Test.

Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane on Wednesday refused to confirm whether his team would fly to Queensland to finish the series, and reports out of the subcontinent continue to indicate the BCCI is threatening to either stay in Sydney for the fourth Test or simply flee the country.

Until, the BCCI heavies in Mumbai can guarantee to CA bosses that there is no issue, it cannot be ruled out that Brisbane may yet lose its Test match.

BCCI officials formally signed off on the quarantining protocols being demanded by the Queensland Government on December 29, and they are no different to what the teams are experiencing in Sydney.

Cricket Australia say they are still yet to receive any subsequent correspondence out of Mumbai on the simmering drama, despite the daily reports indicating a revolt could be looming.

Australian captain Tim Paine declared on Wednesday that where there’s smoke there’s usually fire with the all-powerful BCCI, who have the money and clout to hold other countries to ransom.

Cricket Australia chiefs are seeking urgent clarification from the BCCI in a bid to put the destabilising talk to bed, as teams prepare to take the field for the third Test.

The sudden protest from team India is confusing because the complaints still seem to be based on their assumption they are being confined to hotel rooms in Queensland.

However, Queensland’s chief health officer has already said on the record that the team will be free to roam around the entire luxury hotel – which has been booked out by CA – as they are in Sydney.

It’s understood Indian management on the ground are demanding guarantees in writing from CA before flying to Brisbane.

But the big bosses in Mumbai remain silent – albeit communication has been severely hampered in recent days by BCCI President Sourav Ganguly’s hospitalisation after suffering a heart attack.

Indian sources are still adamant that the conditions are different from Sydney to Brisbane and there was widespread unhappiness in the group but they said they had had no word back from the BCCI at 8.30am Thursday morning.

The team is furious that the public they perform for has more freedom than they have.

The players are upset about being in a bubble for so long, especially as they face another four-Test series against England in early February.

Sources said they did not want to be treated like “caged animals”.

However, being confined to a hotel is not unusual for international cricketers, particularly in India, where the spotlight is intense.