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A quintet of players are in pre-trial isolation as India’s cricket board investigates a possible violation of biosafety protocols, and the New South Wales government comes under increasing pressure to block fans of SCG test.
Rohit Sharma is one of the players allegedly involved in the offense. Source: Photosport
Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini were isolated after a video of them sitting at a table in a Melbourne restaurant was posted on Navaldeep Singh’s Twitter account.
Singh suggested Friday that he paid the table bill and then hugged Pant, although on Saturday he claimed there was no hug and that the players kept their distance.
The five players will be kept separate from the broader Indian and Australian squads when traveling and at the training venue, but will be allowed to train according to strict protocols that have been established.
The series of four tests between Australia and India is played in a context of biosecurity rules, which will be tightened when the teams travel to Sydney on Monday.
Players and staff can leave the hotel, but must dine outside.
The protocols have helped Cricket Australia, which requires waivers from the Queensland government for players to travel from Sydney to Brisbane for the fourth test, navigate the country’s latest COVID-19 outbreak.
CA went down hard on the Brisbane Heat after Chris Lynn and Dan Lawrence’s biosecurity violations earlier this season, which fined the club $ 50,000 ($ 20,000 suspended) and each player $ 10,000 ($ 4,000 suspended).
English escort Jofra Archer’s biosecurity breach in 2020, when he stopped at his home while the team was traveling between hotels, resulted in a test ban.
It will be up to the Cricket Control Board in India (BCCI) to decide what penalties, if any, are imposed.
The episode comes as the New South Wales government implements a series of restrictions in response to the surge in coronavirus cases in Sydney, with masks becoming mandatory for many indoor settings.
Outdoor seated events are now capped at 2,000 people, though NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says Covid’s safe plans for larger events will be reviewed.
NSW Health officials will take a “tour” of the SCG before sealing plans for the third test, which currently allows a daily crowd of about 20,000.
New South Wales Opposition Leader Jodi McKay has called for no crowd at the SCG Test.
Australian Medical Association President Omar Khorshid issued a public petition on Saturday regarding an event that could “fuel the spread of Covid-19.”
“This is a potential transmission site,” Khorshid said.
“As people queue at the entrances, at the food and drink stalls and use the shared bathrooms, as well as taking public transport from all parts of Sydney to meet in a central location.
“The decision to hold the test match with the spectators is at odds with the appropriate response of the rest of NSW to the latest outbreak.
“Let’s put health first and watch the third test on television.”
Berejiklian defended the fact that the masks will be recommended, but not mandatory, on the ground, but felt that fans would understand if there are last-minute changes to the rules or the size of the crowd.
“During a pandemic, things can move very quickly,” Berejiklian said.
“People in our state understand that decisions must be made (quickly) and the consequences that could occur.”
