Australia, BBL stars in mass airlift to beat COVID cluster

Adelaide has seen a mass exit of KFC BBL players while some of Australia's white-ball squad have been ordered to Sydney early as Cricket Australia reacted to keep ahead of state government responses to the COVID-19 outbreak in the South Australia capital.

Players and staff from Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland who are involved in the Dettol ODI and T20 series against India are travelling to Sydney today.

Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Wade, Ashton Agar and uncapped squad member Cameron Green were the players affected.

ODI & T20 squad member Kane Richardson, who recently welcomed his first child with wife Nyki, has remained at home in Adelaide.

The remainder of Australis white-ball squad are due to assemble in Sydney on Sunday ahead of the first ODI against India on November 27.

CA made the call to move personnel early after players returning from the Marsh Sheffield Shield hub in Adelaide were subject to changed border conditions.

The Adelaide Strikers squad flew out for a pre-season camp in Coffs Harbour, while Adelaide-based players from other BBL sides will also call the NSW North Coast home in the aftermath of their city's COVID-19 cluster.

That includes Sydney Thunder captain Callum Ferguson, while other players from the state include Tom Cooper (Brisbane Heat) and Nick Winter (Hobart Hurricanes).

Players were enjoying a week off when they got the call to pack urgently and prepare to relocate, with some of the Strikers squad having to make a mad dash back home from Kangaroo Island.

CA said it was monitoring the outbreak – which had grown to 20 people on Tuesday afternoon – but remained committed to hosting the first Vodafone Test against India at the Adelaide Oval.

CA may also rejig the itinerary of its Australia A squad, which includes Test captain Tim Paine, as it seeks to avoid more logistical headaches before a tour game in Sydney starts on December 6.

Paine and other high-profile teammates were part of the Sheffield Shield hub in Adelaide, which wrapped up last week.

"CA can confirm none of the players in Adelaide for the Marsh Sheffield Shield visited the “hot spots” identified by SA Health. CA has nonetheless instructed all players to undergo COVID-19 tests, with all results received thus far returning negative," a statement put out by the governing body read.

Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia's Interim CEO, said he was keen to ensure the border changes would not compromise the summer schedule.

"CA has taken a proactive approach and mobilised a number of people across the country over the past 24 hours to shore up our men's domestic and international schedules," Hockley said via a statement.

"I would like to thank the players and staff for their understanding regarding the changes to their travel schedules and for their commitment to ensuring the summer of cricket is a huge success.

"I would also like to thank the various leadership groups across Australian cricket for coming together over the past 48 hours and taking quick, decisive action – made possible by thorough, cross-department contingency planning.

"CA will continue to monitor the situation in South Australia and the resulting border restrictions around the country. As ever, we will remain agile in addressing the challenges presented by the pandemic and remain more confident than ever of hosting a safe and successful summer across all formats."

White-ball wicketkeeper Alex Carey is among Australia's Indian Premier League contingent already training and quarantining in Sydney.

But the South Australian's wife Eloise and son Louis were part of the COVID-19 chaos.

Carey's family opted to jump on a plane and rush to Sydney, wanting to ensure they could see the 29-year-old for the first time since he departed for a tour of England in August.

"Unfortunately the news out of Adelaide wasn't great over the last 24 hours," Carey told reporters.

"It's great to see they (CA) have been really proactive ... which, hopefully, will allow them to play the first BBL game as scheduled.

"The (Strikers) boys have been able to get back to Adelaide, pack their gear up and get on a flight out as soon as possible. It shows the commitment that cricketers have for this summer.

"Guys are going a great job. Doing what they have to, to keep the ship moving."

Meanwhile, the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) cancelled all games under its umbrella for the next fortnight as per the state's recent restrictions on sport.

India Tour of Australia 2020-21

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

Australia ODI & T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey , Pat Cummins (vc), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

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

India ODI squad: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur.

India T20I squad: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan

Dettol ODI Series v India

First ODI: November 27, SCG, 2.40pm AEDT

Second ODI: November 29, SCG, 2.40pm AEDT

Third ODI: December 2, Manuka Oval, 2.40pm AEDT

Dettol T20 INTL Series v India

First T20: December 4, Manuka Oval, 7.10pm AEDT

Second T20: December 6, SCG, 7.10pm AEDT

Third T20: December 8, SCG, 7.10pm AEDT

Tour matches

Australia A v India A, December 6-8, Drummoyne Oval

Australia A v Indians, December 11-13, SCG (day-night)

Vodafone Test Series v India

First Test: December 17-21, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

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

*The matches and travel remain subject to any relevant government restrictions or requirements.