Australia women vs India women pink ball Test moved to Queensland after COVID surge

The historic Day-Night Test between Australia women and India women has been moved to Carrara Stadium in Queensland. The match was set to take place at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) stadium in Perth but a recent spike in COVID-19 cases forced Cricket Australia (CA) to look for a different venue. Meanwhile, the ODIs which were to be played in Melbourne will also be played in Queensland.

Australia has been hit hard by another wave of COVID-19 which has forced the government to impose lockdown in several cities. A source close to CA said if the situation does not improve significantly, the entire tour can be postponed indefinitely.

“Australia is currently badly affected by Covid-19. The number of cases are constantly going up, which means no matches can be organized in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. All these cities are repeatedly going into lockdowns. This has forced Cricket Australia (CA) to move the ODI and T20I series out of Sydney to Mackay, and the pink ball Test from Perth to Gold Coast, which will also host the three T20Is now,” stated a source according to the Times of India.

As per the modified schedule, India women will leave for Dubai on August 29 in a chartered flight before taking another flight to Brisbane. The team will then undergo two weeks of quarantine before they begin their preparations for the marquee series.

“However, this is also a tentative schedule, which CA has communicated to the BCCI. As per the altered schedule, the Indian team will fly tomorrow (Sunday) evening from Bangalore to Dubai in a chartered flight. From Dubai, the team will fly to Brisbane, where they will quarantine for two weeks before going to Mackay. Everything is uncertain due to the concerning Covid situation in Australia. Let’s hope that the Covid situation doesn’t get worse in Australia, otherwise, the tour itself may have to be called off even after the team reaches Australia,” concluded the source.