MUMBAI: Cricket Australia (CA) has finalised venues that will host the four-match Test series IF India comes visiting, with the opening match in Brisbane on December 3, The Australian reported Wednesday.
The other three matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be played at the Adelaide Oval, Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Sydney Cricket Ground. While the second match in Adelaide from December 11 will be India’s first away Day-Night Test, the ones in Melbourne and Sydney will be the traditional Boxing Day and New Year Tests respectively, the Australian daily further reported.
The tour, which is estimated to have a A$300 million price tag attached, will not feature a Test in Perth where India had lost during their last tour in 2018-19. The last tour did not have a Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Speculation that the tour might be cancelled had been floating in the media ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. Also, with Australia imposing a six-month ban on the entry of foreigners and the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year facing a serious existential crisis, the fate of India’s tour becomes that more critical for CA from a financial perspective.
Earlier, news agency IANS had quoted an unnamed Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official “confirming” that the tour Down Under would go ahead as planned.
“The series against Australia is definitely on unless we have a situation where travelling or playing becomes impossible due to the coronavirus pandemic. Things are definitely looking better and we believe that we will be in a position to make that trip post the IPL,” the official told the newswire.
