Aus vs Ind: MCG kept as a backup for third Test

MCG has been preferred as the back up venue for the third Test match between India and Australia. The recent covid-19 cluster in New South Wales has hampered inter-state movement, and this is the reason why the MCG is chosen as the backup venue.

Cricket Australia stated they remain committed to sticking to the original scheduled but also added that, “should the public health situation in NSW render playing in Sydney untenable, CA’s preferred contingency plan is to work with the Victorian Government to play the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground followed by the fourth one at the Gabba.”

Both, India and Australia are currently in Melbourne, preparing for the Boxing Day Test Match that starts on December 26. The third and fourth Test matches are originally scheduled to be held in Sydney and Brisbane but a fresh outbreak of Covid-19 virus in the northern beaches of Sydney, have forced Cricket Australia to come up with alternatives. Cricket Australia’s Interim CEO, Nick Hockley stated that the final call will be taken during the Boxing Day Test itself.

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“We have always maintained that scheduling a full summer of cricket during a global pandemic would require agility, problem-solving and teamwork like never before,” Hockley said. “We continue to place the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved as our number one priority.