Sydney and Canberra likely to host India’s ODI and T20Is against Australia

Canberra and Sydney are most likely to host India’s upcoming ODIs and T20Is against Australia with an agreement between Cricket Australia and New South Wales government only a matter of days away. CA is already in touch with the authorities in South Australia and Queensland regarding options for Indian tourists arriving for training and quarantining.

For the time being, New South Wales are the firm favourites to host the block of matches before the Test series. Stuart Ayres, the state’s sports minister, stated that they received CA’s proposal and its considerations by authorities including police and health officials.

“Cricket Australia has approached the New South Wales government about quarantining the Indian cricket team and returning Australian cricketers in Sydney,” Ayres was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

“That proposal is currently being assessed by NSW authorities including health and police. Fixtures for the Indian tour will be determined by Cricket Australia and won’t impact our assessment of the quarantine proposal,” the sports minister added.

BCCI has a role to play as well

If there’s an agreement between CA and the state government, the plan would be submitted to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for approval with fixtures announced and naming of Australia’s white-ball squads.

Queensland Health’s prevarication alongside the state government has objected to the CA’s plea to allow Team India’s squad to travel from the Brisbane hotel to training facilities at Allan Border Field. The objection has come as a surprise to Cricket Australia.

On the other hand, New South Wales is most likely to allow hotel quarantine and training sessions for both the Indian and Australian cricket teams. The cricketers are currently in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), playing in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

From there on, the ODIs and T20Is will be played at the Manuka Oval and the Sydney Cricket Ground. It’s learned that even as four games will take place in Sydney, Canberra will play hosts to two matches.

CA has already unveiled the plans for the upcoming Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) which is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, October 25. The entire tournament will take place in Sydney, but SCG hasn’t been picked as one of the venues. The city might need minor changes if the India series begins in Sydney.