CA confident of Gabba Test, SCG to stay on standby

Cricket Australia has confidence any concerns among the India touring party about playing the fourth Test of the Vodafone Series in Brisbane have been resolved, even though it was confirmed a second pitch will be prepared at the SCG as a back-up option.

CA's interim Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley today moved to clarify unconfirmed reports India's players were unhappy about the prospect of being subjected to strict quarantine protocols in line with the exemptions provided by Queensland authorities to allow travel from Sydney to Brisbane.

It was reported the India squad, many of whom have been living in strict bio-secure 'bubbles' since the Indian Premier League tournament began last September, had indicated a preference for the fourth Test to be held somewhere other than Brisbane, and potentially also in Sydney.

However, Hockley said today he had been in contact with counterparts at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Mumbai during the past 24 hours and clarified the restrictions that would be placed upon players from both teams in both Sydney and Brisbane.

That included guarantees members of the squad would be free to inter-mingle in designated common areas within their hotels (given over exclusively to the cricket entourage) when they weren't training or playing at the respective Test venues at the SCG and Gabba.

Asked whether his discussions with the BCCI had effectively put to rest any suggestions the India team would not travel to Brisbane for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series finale, he replied: "I would say so, yes."

"We've had nothing formal from the BCCI to suggest anything other than they are supportive," Hockley said.

"We speak to our counterparts in the BCCI daily and we have clarified in the last 24 hours what the precise requirements are in Brisbane.

"There has been some reporting that players will be confined to their rooms - that's not the case.

"Typically for a Test match, players arrive at the ground between 8am and 9am and they are there until 6 or 7 at night, and then it's back to the hotel to rest and recuperate and they will be able to mix within their groups.

"So everyone's fully across that, and supportive.

"As we've said all summer, we've been consistent, we want to play the Tests as scheduled and we've been working really constructively with Queensland Health.

"I have to say they've been absolutely fantastic, we've put in place arrangements here in Sydney and in Brisbane that are appropriate with the environment.

"And we're all systems go for the third Test here in Sydney and the fourth Test at the Gabba in Brisbane."

But given the fast-changing landscape during the pandemic, organisers must prepare for every unforeseen event.

As a result, Venues NSW Chief Executive Officer Kerrie Mather confirmed the SCG will be ready to host another Test immediately after the upcoming New Year's match starting on Thursday should circumstances dictate a late change to the schedule.

It was the same scenario in Melbourne where the MCG began preparation of an auxiliary pitch that would have been ready to host the third had the SCG been ruled out as an option by health authorities.

"We would love to see the (fourth) Test played at the Gabba," Mather said today.

"It's a real fortress for Australia and we hope the people of Queensland will get the same opportunity that we've had here.

"But like all things at the moment, we've ensured there is a contingency plan.

'So if there is a requirement for a second Test here (at the SCG), we'll be ready to host it."

All players and support staff from the India and Australia Test squads, as well as the series match officials, underwent COVID-19 tests on Sunday after five members of the India team were purportedly filmed eating indoors at a restaurant in suburban Melbourne two days earlier.

And Australia spinner Nathan Lyon today urged any players who felt the bio-security restrictions were too onerous to understand that many others in the community had made significant sacrifices during the pandemic and to "just suck it up and get on with it and stop complaining".

Hockley praised all the players – men's and women's teams, in international and domestic competitions including the KFC BBL and Rebel WBBL – who have shown a preparedness to deliver a full summer schedule despite the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19.

It was announced earlier today the SCG will initially host 25 per cent of its capacity for cricket (believed to be around 9,500 spectators per day) during the third Test, but Mather added the venue was ready to increase that number if health advice changed.

And while tighter restrictions will apply to the teams while in Sydney and Brisbane due to the number of COVID cases in NSW over the past month, Hockley pointed out the protocols that dictate player movements have all subtly varied from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, in line with local advice.

"The players are very clear that in Sydney and in Brisbane, the protocols are that they'll be within our exclusive hotel and then at the grounds for training and playing the matches," he said.

"Both sets of team management and the players will be working to make sure those protocols are observed properly.

"We've just been so fortunate here in Australia with a number of days of zero community transmission that our players, unlike other parts of the world, they have been able to have a level of normalcy and go out and about, dine outdoors, go and grab coffee, go for walks outside.

"Obviously the situation is now as it is and really, the next two Tests are pretty tight in (proximity) and I know both sets of players are going to be very focused on what is an even series.

"It's all about the cricket from here-on in."

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, 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: India won by eight wickets

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

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