Call on Sydney Test wont be rushed by COVID outbreak: CA

Cricket Australia says it won't be rushed into a decision on the Sydney Test, insistent it is still the preference to play the third match of the Vodafone Test Series at the SCG from January 7.

State border closures on Sunday threatened to cause serious headaches for cricket officials, as Victoria and South Australia shut the door on greater Sydney.

A similar decision could still potentially come from Queensland, after another 30 cases were detected in the community on Saturday.

As it stands, the SCG is set to host the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, with the Brisbane Test at the Gabba to follow from January 15.

Externally, several alternatives have already been mooted.

One includes Melbourne hosting Boxing Day and the New Years' Test, while another would see Brisbane host the third and fourth Test.

Sydney and Brisbane could also swap their Tests to buy more time, while the SCG clash could also conceivably be moved to Manuka Oval in Canberra.

But CA boss Nick Hockley on Sunday said the sport still had time on its side.

"The third Test is more than two-and-a-half weeks away, which provides us with time to assess the evolving public health situation on the northern beaches of Sydney," interim chief executive Hockley said.

"We have made no changes to our schedule and our preference remains to play the match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

"CA has prepared for the possibility of COVID-19 hotspots and state border closures over the course of the summer."

Hockley also pointed to the fact both Adelaide and Melbourne had at different times looked in doubt this year, but are now both clear.

"It was less than a month ago that South Australians were contending with an outbreak of the virus in Adelaide and we have just completed a brilliant first Test at the Adelaide Oval," he said.

"We faced similar issues in relation to the Melbourne Cricket Ground playing host to the Boxing Day Test.

"We are now less than a week away from welcoming back Victorian crowds after a difficult year for the state."

CA on Saturday pre-empted Victoria's decision to close its border to greater Sydney, moving injured Test players David Warner and Sean Abbott to Melbourne.

The rest of the Australian squad will soon join them after taking a 1-0 series lead against India with an eight-wicket win in the first Test in Adelaide.

But the closure could present challenges for television networks and operators, some of whom do reside in Sydney.

Meanwhile, there are already likely to be challenges with the KFC BBL.

Both the Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes are scheduled to travel from Sydney to Melbourne for games in mid-January and would now require exemptions.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday suggested the border closure would not be a short-term scenario.

Australia's vice-captain Pat Cummins admitted the virus situation was something front of mind for players, with several of the squad from Sydney.

"Of course, we have been chatting about that – fingers crossed it doesn't escalate too much," Cummins said.

"But Cricket Australia have been amazing with our medical staff.

"They have thought of every contingency and been red-hot on our discipline with mask wearing and isolation before coming into the bubble.

"Fingers crossed Sydney can look after themselves."

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT