Did Covid-19 again become the reason to postpone NZ vs AUS?

On Wednesday the cricket boards of both countries said New Zealand’s limited-overs tour of Australia has been postponed perpetually due to unreliability over when the players would be able to return home due to Covid-19 protocols.

From the 24th January- 9th February, the tour schedule included three one-day internationals in Perth, Hobart, and Sydney and a lone Twenty20 match in Canberra.

Till now, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and Cricket Australia (CA) are in talks about the match when it should be played.

NZC Chief Executive David White said to HT, “As we now know, the advent of Omicron prompted a change of heart from the NZ government, resulting in a hard 10-day mandatory isolation period being imposed on all incoming travelers.” 

He also added, “NZC and CA had explored a proposal to expand the tour and to push out the date on which the squad might return to New Zealand in the hope that might be more achievable for the government. Unfortunately, we received advice this morning that they could not provide certainty over this.”

CA said ticket buyers would be returned and it will confirm the plan for the team’s T20 Internationals against Sri Lanka next month as soon as possible.

From 11th February, Australia is scheduled to play five T20s against Sri Lanka.

On the other hand, CA CEO Nick Hockley told HT, “We know fans will be disappointed and thank them for their understanding given the unique circumstances that the global pandemic presents for everyone.”