David Warner escapes Sydney for Melbourne just in case for Boxing Day Test

David Warner has been rushed to Melbourne in case Victoria closes its border to all of Sydney before the Boxing Day Test.

David Warner at the First Test between Australia and New Zealand last December in Perth. Picture: Getty Images

David Warner was rushed to Melbourne on Saturday in a private jet but won’t miss out on Christmas with his family as Australia’s cricket side took no chances on border closures.

The Australian opener, wife Candice and their three children escaped from Sydney at short notice to avoid a potential disaster should Victoria choose to close its borders to residents of Sydney in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test.

Teammate Sean Abbott also made his dash out of town, driving to Canberra for a flight to Melbourne – with the players instructed to avoid commercial flights out of Sydney.

They’ll have to self-isolate in Melbourne until the Victorian Government is satisfied they can enter Australia’s bio-bubble in the coming days.

Neither Warner nor Abbott have visited any hot spots or live on the Northern Beaches, but Cricket Australia is taking proactive measures and don’t want to be caught out.

The fact Cricket Australia is making a priority of flying Warner to Melbourne could be taken as a sign that he is still some chance of playing on Boxing Day at the MCG.

Warner is racing the clock to recover from a serious groin injury for the Christmas present he craves, and must increase his running speeds to be considered.

However, the uncertainty over the Sydney Test means officials need to get all their players together out of Sydney to ensure they are inside the bubble for whatever happens next.

Abbott is highly unlikely to be needed on Boxing Day, but he is recovering from his own calf strain after injuring himself in Australia A’s last tour game.

Warner said his chances of playing on Boxing Day comes down to what inroads he can make over the coming days.

“Hopefully I can get up and about and start running at a higher tempo,” Warner told SEN radio. “I managed to get up to 14km/h so I’ve got to work towards a max of 26 to 30km/h by next week.

“If I can run between wickets and move laterally and do some ground fielding by the end of next week, I should be ready to go. Fingers are crossed.”

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom