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WBBL on alert as Tasmania locks down

Cricket Australia in talks with Tasmanian government after Hobart was plunged into a snap three-day lockdown ahead of opening weekend of Weber WBBL

This weekend’s WBBL matches are in under a cloud after southern Tasmania was plunged into a snap three-day lockdown on Friday.

Four Weber WBBL|07 games are scheduled to be played at Blundstone Arena across Saturday and Sunday, with Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein suggesting crowds will now not be able to attend those matches.

Cricket Australia and the Tasmanian state government are working through contingency plans, with CA emphasising all players and staff have received COVID-19 vaccinations.

Gutwein stated at his press conference on Friday afternoon: "Bearing in mind there are national and international matters to consider here in terms of the broadcast, if they do go ahead they would go ahead with no crowd and with the players remaining in a bubble."

Seven of the eight WBBL clubs are in Tasmania. Perth Scorchers were due to fly in on Friday for their first match against Brisbane Heat on Sunday but confirmed they would remain in Western Australia until more information was available.

The Hurricanes are scheduled to play the Renegades on Saturday afternoon, before the Strikers meet the Thunder on Saturday night. The Hurricanes then back up against the Sixers on Sunday morning, before the Heat play the Scorchers.

“The health and safety of our players, staff, match officials and partners, along with that of the wider community, remains our top priority,” CA said in a statement.

“We are currently working with the Tasmanian Government on options for the upcoming Weber WBBL|07 matches at Blundstone Arena, Hobart this weekend.”

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The next matches are not due to be played until Tuesday, October 19, after the scheduled end of the lockdown on Monday evening.

The situation in Hobart also impacted the Marsh One-Day Cup match between Western Australia and Tasmania in Perth. The first ball was pushed back an hour as the Tasmania players waited for clearance from WA police to leave their hotel, but the game was set to get underway at 4pm AEDT.

The emergence of further cases or an extension of the lockdown could also have significant impacts on the second half of the WBBL season.

The first 24 matches of WBBL|07 are scheduled to be played on the island state, with games split between Hobart and Launceston, before the competition is due to move to Western Australia, South Australia and northern Queensland.

Southern Tasmania was thrown into the snap lockdown from 6pm on Friday after a COVID-positive man who had entered the state from New South Wales escaped hotel quarantine in Hobart and was later located at a residence in the city’s northern suburbs.

Gutwein said the decision to put the southern half of the state into lockdown came after the man "has not been cooperative, leading to inconsistency and non-disclosure of information".

The competition got off to a soggy start on Thursday night when Sydney Sixers took out a rain-reduced encounter against Melbourne Stars by six wickets.

Players from Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra underwent 14 days of hotel quarantine on arrival in Tasmania and were released one week before the start of the season.

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