Starc unfazed by Australia's quarantine quandary

Mitchell Starc is adamant all-format stars will not have to make the impossible choice between a playing in a World Cup final and pulling on the Baggy Green, insisting they are open to playing the opening Test of next summer under hard quarantine.

The International Cricket Council's confirmation that the T20 World Cup will stretch into mid-November has given Cricket Australia their latest logistical headache, with the tournament final to be held within a fortnight of its home summer opener – a landmark Test against Afghanistan in Hobart.

Without a government exemption, Starc along with Pat Cummins, David Warner, Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood and any other Test players who make the final World Cup squad (which the ICC now permit to feature up to 22 players) would not be available for the one-off pre-Ashes Test beginning November 27.

But after playing in a unique Test campaign against India that involved playing the series finale in Brisbane while under strict Queensland government quarantine conditions, Starc is hopeful CA will be able find a solution. 

"You look back to the summer we've just come from (last season) - we played (the) Sydney (Test) under restrictions, Brisbane was under full quarantine so there's certainly precedent there," the 31-year-old said from St Lucia, where Australia's limited-overs squad is preparing for a five-T20 series against West Indies. 

"For the multi-format players, we all want to play as much cricket as we can.

"Test match cricket is the pinnacle for a lot of players – it certainly is for me. (But) as is a World Cup. It's going to hard to pick and choose between the two of them."

The Afghans (ranked No.7 in the world) are a long shot to progress all the way to the final, but they too would face the same issue as the Aussies if they flew to Australia the day after the final.

A November 15 arrival into Australia for the two teams would see them exit hotel quarantine on day four of the Test.

The Ashes then begin a week after the Afghanistan Test concludes.

Should England reach the World Cup final and Afghanistan and Australia be knocked out earlier than that, CA would likely face a choice between waiting for England to be available to join the chartered flight or stumping up for two separate charters.

White-ball captain Aaron Finch has baulked at the idea of players skipping the World Cup.

"It's the one bit of silverware that's eluded us," Finch said last week. "There'll be no management for Test cricket."

With the date of the Blundstone Arena's first Test in five years set in stone, one option would be for CA to secure approval from the Tasmanian state government to play under similar conditions to last summer’s Gabba Test.

That match, which India won in a thrilling finish in January, saw players and staff only allowed to leave their hotel rooms to eat, train and play.

"Brisbane last year, there was nothing wrong with the set-up there, it was fantastic," said Starc. "The Queensland government were fantastic looking after both teams during that Test match.

"The result didn’t go our way, but in terms of quarantine and putting on a Test match in Australia, they were fantastic getting that over the line to help us complete the series up there.

"From that respect I don't think there's any hurdles to get around playing cricket under quarantine conditions, it's just the finer details that governments and Cricket (Australia) are going to have work together (on)."

Before then, Starc has his eye squarely focused on the shortest format as Australia prepare for a 10-game run of T20 games in against the Windies and Bangladesh, with an ODI series in Barbados sandwiched in between.

Since missing the last T20 World Cup in 2016 with an ankle injury, the left-armer's T20 International appearances have become gradually less sporadic; he played just three games for Australia in the shortest format in a four-year stretch between 2015 and 2019.

Regarded among one of the most effective T20 pacemen of all-time, Starc has been a more regular presence over the past few years and shapes as a trump card for both this year's event and next year's to be played in Australia.

"It's a great opportunity for the group to start preparing with a bit more focus on that World Cup," he said of the upcoming T20 campaigns.

"I don’t think I've played 10 (international) T20s in the last four years, let alone in the space of a couple of weeks.

"Personally it'd be nice to get into a rhythm of T20 cricket ahead of the World Cup. For the guys working on a few things … it's a nice opportunity to put those things on show in conditions that will be quite similar to what we'll face in the World Cup."

Qantas Tour of the West Indies 2021

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Nathan Ellils, Tanveer Sangha.

West Indies T20 squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran (vc), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr

T20 series
(all matches at the Darren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia)

First T20: July 10, 9.30am AEST (July 9, 7.30pm local)

Second T20: July 11, 9.30am AEST (July 10, 7.30pm local)

Third T20: July 13, 9.30am AEST (July 12, 7.30pm local)

Fourth T20: July 15, 9.30am AEST (July 14, 7.30pm local)

Fifth T20: July 17, 9.30am AEST (July 16, 7.30pm local)

ODI series
(all matches at Kensington Oval, Barbados)

First ODI (D/N): July 21, 4.30am AEST (July 20, 2.30pm local)

Second ODI (D/N): July 23, 4.30am AEST (July 22, 2.30pm local)

Third ODI (D/N): July 25, 4.30am AEST (July 24, 2.30pm local)

* Details of five-match T20 tour of Bangladesh are yet to be announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Tours are subject to agreement on bio-security arrangements and relevant government approvals.