Australia-New Zealand women’s matches set to host spectators

The upcoming contests between Australia and New Zealand Women, scheduled to be played at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane, Queensland will have a limited number of spectators present at the ground. Cricket Australia announced the availability of tickets earlier today, and they were sold out by the afternoon.

Under Queensland Government COVID-19 regulations, Capacity at the venue will be limited to 50% which includes every person in the ground, while there are various other protocols and restrictions in place.  One of the specific recommendations Cricket Australia has put out involves shouting and cheering to cut the risk of droplet spread. “Try to keep shouting, singing, cheering, or celebrating to a minimum to avoid transmission,” the guidelines state.

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All tickets were bought online, following which spectators had to swipe in using a mobile device with details stored in case contact tracing is required. The ground will be split into six zones with people not allowed to move outside of their designated area.

The range of COVID-19 measures that have become common over the last six months will be in place including social distancing. There will be no interaction with the players during the matches for things like selfies or autographs. The one area that had still to be confirmed is what would happen when the ball gets hit into the crowd and returned to the field of play.

The Allan Border field.

Members of Australia’s squad from New South Wales, Victoria, and the ACT, along with the full New Zealand party, are currently in two weeks quarantine in Brisbane. They are able to train for three hours a day at Allan Border Field during this time with the rest of the Australia squad arriving next Monday. The two sides will play each other in a warm-up match before the internationals start.

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Crowds of varying sizes have been able to return to watch the winter sports codes in Australia since July in all states and territories other than Victoria. One of the key elements of the men’s international season, whether the MCG can host the Boxing Day Test against India, hinges on if crowds are able to return at some level by then. A final decision is not expected on that until November as Melbourne works through easing its restrictions.