Cricket Australia on Tuesday airlifted players, including Test captain Tim Paine and star batsman Marnus Labuschagne, to New South Wales from Adelaide in an attempt to save the series versus India as a fresh coronavirus outbreak in South Australia threatened the upcoming summer.

As Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania closed their borders to South Australia on Monday, CA brought players from Australia’s white-ball, Test match and Australia A squads into Sydney from Adelaide to ensure that the upcoming fixtures of the season remain unaffected.

“CA has taken a proactive approach and mobilised a number of people across the country over the past 24 hours to shore up our men’s domestic and international schedules,” the board’s interim chief executive, Nick Hockley, was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

“I would like to thank the players and staff for their understanding regarding the changes to their travel schedules and for their commitment to ensuring the summer of cricket is a huge success.”

Besides Paine and Labuschagne, the list of players relocated includes their colleagues Matthew Wade, Travis Head and Cameron Green. In spite of the spike in Covid cases and developments related to it, CA maintained that the Adelaide Oval would host the first Test of the summer against India from December 17.

MCG an alternative

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall, however, could not provide any guarantee on the matter in spite of CA’s confidence.

“We are still hopeful that the cricket will go ahead.

What we are doing in South Australia is putting all those people we think pose the biggest risk, those people that have come into contact with someone who is infectious, we have put them into quarantine as quickly as possible,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Marshall as saying.

If the venue for the first Test has to be shifted, Melbourne Cricket Club would be ready to host the opener too, its chief Stuart Fox said.