CA chief confirms no special treatment for IPL's returning players

Cricket Australia’s interim chief executive Nick Hockley rubbished claims of special treatment for the Australian contingent which returned from the suspended Indian Premier League (2021) as he confirmed that the BCCI is paying for their quarantine stay in Sydney.

“BCCI at the outset committed to ensuring that they got home safely and as quickly as possible. We’ve been working closely with them. They’ve been fantastic. They’ve delivered on that promise,” Hockley told Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday. 

 Hockley thanked the BCCI for arranging safe passage for around 40 Australian players, commentators and coaching staff out of a COVID-19 ravaged India after they reached Sydney on Monday from Maldives.

“Obviously our thoughts are with all of our friends in India. Then we’ve been working with government, within the existing frameworks to make sure that they get home as quickly as possible. I know the players, having texted a few of them, are extremely appreciative of the BCCI and we’re really pleased that they’re home safely.

The New South Wales government on Monday lifted its cap of 3,000 returned travellers for the day in order to facilitate the cricketers’ return.

Hockley also said CA is looking at various options to reschedule the February Test series in South Africa and was optimistic about the upcoming tours of Bangladesh and West Indies.

“I know that the selectors and coaches and our national teams are looking at the broader landscape and all the cricket we’ve got coming up, including the Ashes this summer. I think what it demonstrates is that there just has to be a level of flexibility in terms of scheduling cricket in a pandemic,” he said.