Victoria and New South Wales-based players from the Australia Women’s squad will undergo a 14-day quarantine period in Brisbane next month alongside their New Zealand counterparts ahead of the T20I and ODI series which will be played at Allan Border Field.
It is hoped that crowds will be able to attend the six matches but details of that are still being worked through by Cricket Australia and the relevant government departments. Crowds have been able to attend the winter sports codes hosted in Queensland since the end of June.
The two groups of players will be able to access net facilities at Allan Border Field under strict biosecure protocols during the two-week quarantine but the teams will not mix.
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Melbourne is currently under a stage four lockdown which means anyone travelling into Queensland is required to quarantine while New South Wales was declared a hotspot area earlier this month which meant the same restrictions for anyone coming from that state. That group of players will arrive into Brisbane on September 6.
Players from the other states will not have to undergo the two-week quarantine period ahead of the series and they will join up with the squad in Brisbane on September 20 ahead of the opening T20I on September 26.
New Zealand Cricket announced on Friday that their squad would fly to Brisbane on September 9 although that is still awaiting final approval from governments on both sides of the Tasman.
The tour will be the first cricket both teams have played since the T20 World Cup in March and it will be the first international sport staged in Australia since Covid-19 took hold.
“We would like to thank the Queensland Government for their support, which has allowed for the tour to progress in a biosecure way,” Nick Hockley, the interim Cricket Australia CEO, said. “We can’t wait to get the season started and what better way to celebrate the return of our World Champions.
“We’re as confident as ever that we will be able to deliver a schedule of matches that excites and entertains fans across the country and around the world.”
Terry Svenson, the Queensland Cricket CEO, said: “We’re pleased to have played a role along with Cricket Australia and the State and Commonwealth Governments in bringing international sport back to Australia, with the New Zealand Women’s visit to Queensland to be the first inbound tour to the country since the start of the pandemic and the first international cricket in Australia since that memorable ICC T20 Women’s World Cup won by Australia.
“Queensland Cricket is very grateful to the State Government for the support shown for this tour, and their positive approach to hosting matches in Queensland this summer. We’re looking forward to providing the opportunity for fans to experience some top-quality cricket and enjoy the best that Australia’s world champion women’s team can deliver.”
T20I series
First T20: September 26
Second T20: September 27
Third T20: September 30
ODI series
First ODI: October 3
Second ODI: October 5
Third ODI: October 7