Sydney COVID-19 cluster threatens Sydney, Brisbane tests

The spike in COVID-19 cases in Sydney has already impacted the Adelaide Test match, and could threaten further matches this summer.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 22: Former Australian Cricketer Brett Lee commentates for Fox Cricket during day two of the 1st Domain Test between Australia and Pakistan at The Gabba on November 22, 2019 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Cricket Australia could be forced to choose between a Sydney or Brisbane Test if the latest COVID crisis spirals out of control.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk – who has already said “no” to India once this summer – may now have the destiny of the India-Australia Test series land in her lap.

On just the second day of the Test summer there was chaos in Adelaide, as former great and Fox Cricket star Brett Lee, who lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, immediately flew home in response to the outbreak which sent a shudder through Australian cricket ranks.

Key broadcast staff from Fox and Channel 7 as well as other media who hail from the Northern Beaches were forced to stand down from duties and take COVID tests on Friday, but the real anxiety was in looking forward to potential implications for the second half of the series.

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Northern beaches resident Brett Lee has had to abandon his role covering the Test match.

Tickets went on sale on Friday for a full-capacity January 7 Sydney Test, and Cricket Australia interim chief executive Nick Hockley declared there is no immediate danger to the SCG showpiece.

However, the threat that Queensland could react as they have throughout the pandemic and slam shut their border to NSW has left the current schedule balancing on a knife’s edge after the cluster hit 28.

Queensland were forced to relinquish the rights to hosting six white ball games against India because it was not satisfied with biosecurity measures around the Indian team training while in quarantine.

Hockley said a Test match would not be taken away from a city unless it was deemed unable to host it, which if Palaszczuk was to shut the NSW border – and not offer cricket any exemptions – puts the January 15 Gabba Test in potentially more doubt than the Sydney Test that precedes it.

Melbourne, Canberra or the option of two Tests in Sydney could all be on the table as emergency contingency plans.

Cricket Australia may need to chose between the Sydney and Brisbane tests as the Northern Beaches COVID cluster worsens. Picture: AFP.

“If the game can be safely played there, we’ll play there. That’s very much our starting point,” Hockley said on SEN.

“We’ll work with health authorities to ascertain that. We started out thinking, ‘how can we play a full season as safely as possible?’ And that’s a theory that’s helped us and we’ll take the same approach over the coming days and weeks.

“I think (potential for border exemptions) is a case by case and we’ll work very closely with the authorities. I think the fact all our players and support staff are in these hubs … if there are situations and restrictions we give ourselves the best chance to move around safely.”

Cricket Australia’s faith in Melbourne and Adelaide to fight their way through their respective outbreaks paid dividends, and Hockley is declared Sydney will be afforded the same time and loyalty.

Sydney is set to host a huge chunk of the back half of the BBL, and border closures could hurt that competition even more than the Test.

Annastacia Palaszczuk may have the destiny of the India-Australia Test series land in her lap.

But tickets went on sale on Friday for the iconic New Year’s Test in a sign of confidence.

“No I don’t think (it’s in doubt). It’s a watch and learn,” said Hockley.

“The NSW Government and NSW Health will be all over it, we just need to be patient and wait and learn over the next 72 hours or even longer and give ourselves every best option to play the series as scheduled.”

The Queensland Government has already banned travel to the northern beaches hot spot, but could yet close its borders to all of Sydney.

That would require Queensland to give special approval for those in the cricket bubble to enter the state.

Meanwhile, commentary star Lee has no symptoms and has not been to any of the notified hot spots, but he has spent an enormous amount of time in quarantine due to the IPL and does not want to risk spending Christmas without his family.

“We had a good talk last night. He went back this morning. Of course everyone is being responsible and he totally understood that,” said Crawley.

“It was just the right thing to do and he was very comfortable doing that.”

SEN also made the decision to send commentators Brad Haddin, Gavin Robertson and Matt White back to Sydney to call the action from a studio.