Shane Warne’s big plan to rescue Western Australia’s Ashes mess

Shane Warne has pitched an idea for the Ashes series to be saved from Western Australia’s uncertainty with something never seen before.

Shane Warne wants the MCG to host two tests this summer in a proposal that would see the Fifth Ashes Test held in Melbourne as a day-night spectacle.

The Aussie cricket legend posted on Twitter Monday night the final test of the 2021-22 Ashes series should be moved from Perth to Melbourne.

It comes after the Western Australian Cricket Association’s chief executive Christina Matthews said there’s a “50/50” chance the fixture could indeed be moved from Perth.

According to multiple reports, a day-night test at the MCG, beginning January 14, is one of the options Cricket Australia is entertaining.

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Western Australia’s notoriously strict biosecurity protocols have cast doubt over the state’s ability to host the final Test of the Ashes at Optus Stadium as originally planned, especially given England’s hesitance to spend the summer locked down or in bubbles.

Shane Warne at his beloved ‘G.

Earlier this month, premier Mark McGowan said he was confident the Test could go ahead at Optus Stadium but ruled out the possibility of granting exemptions from quarantine for the cricketers, who finish playing in Sydney just four days before the Perth Test begins.

It has resulted in state cricket associations rushing to declare their interest in holding the fixture.

Tasmania and the ACT have both publicly expressed interest in holding the Test, but The Daily Telegraphnow reports playing a second test in Sydney or Melbourne is the preferred option.

Warne’s plan would see the traditional Boxing Day Test held in Melbourne and the traditional New Year’s Test held in Sydney before the series would return to Melbourne to finish with a pink ball test at the MCG.

Shane Warne has a big idea. Photo: Getty, Scott Barbour, AAP.

“Now that the 5th #ashes test will not be played in Perth due to the Govt’s stringent quarantine regulations. My suggestion is that the 5th ashes test should be back at the MCG & played as a D/N test,” Warne posted on Twitter.

“So, traditional Boxing Day then Syd then back to MCG for a D/N match!”

The series agreement in place between Cricket Australia and the English Cricket Board does not limit the number of day-night tests able to be held in the series, according to Nine.

“We’ve snuck another in right beside it,” MCC chief executive Stuart Fox told 3AW of the current Boxing Day pitch.

“We’re never cheeky about these things because we’ve lost two grand finals and I don’t like seeing other states pinch content. But we’re ready if we’re needed, and if Cricket Australia just accidentally made a phone call to us and said, ‘We need you to host a second Test,’ we’d be ready to go.

“It’s pretty simple, I’ve spoken to Nick Hockley and said there’s a spare pitch there if any of the states get into trouble with a border closure, we’re happy to help out, but we know we’ve been at the opposite end of the conversation where we’ve lost content. So, I’m hoping we get this Test and series away with little disruption.”

Warne earlier said the handing to tests to Melbourne this summer would be a nice thing for the people of Melbourne, who have been impacted most by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Do you come back to Melbourne and have another Test match to give the Victorian fans something?” Warne said on Monday.

“They’ve probably had it harder than anyone else in Australia, so do you give them a bit extra to smile about for the last Test of the Ashes?

“Or do you give it to somewhere like Canberra or Hobart? There’s plenty of options.

“Obviously as a Victorian I’d love to see it in Melbourne at the MCG, especially with what the Victorian people have been through.

“I’d love to see two Test matches in Melbourne ... why not (pink ball). We’ve often talked about having a day-night Test match in Melbourne, it’d be outstanding.”

Originally published as Shane Warne’s big plan to rescue Western Australia’s Ashes mess