(Reuters) – The Australian state of Tasmania will submit a pitch to the country’s cricket board on Wednesday to have the fifth Ashes test relocated to Hobart from Perth.
The Ashes finale is scheduled for Jan. 14 at Perth Stadium but the fixture remains in doubt due to Western Australia (WA) state’s strict COVID-19 policies.
Tasmania Premier Peter Gutwein said he would push for the match to be played at Hobart’s picturesque Bellerive Oval, which would be the first Ashes test at the ground.
“It would be just fantastic to see Tim (Paine) play at Bellerive as captain of Australia. We’ve been having ongoing discussions with Cricket Tasmania and the CEO of Cricket Australia,” Gutwein told parliament.
“Today I’ll be writing to Cricket Australia to formally put our case for the relocation of the test match scheduled to commence on Jan. 14 in WA.
“Their borders will not be open by then. Tasmania is ready to host that important match … (which) would without doubt be the state’s biggest sporting event that we’ve hosted to date.”
Cricket Australia were not able to provide immediate comment.
CEO Nick Hockley said last month there had been “very constructive” discussions with the WA government about bringing players and staff into Perth after the fourth test in Sydney, which starts on Jan. 5.
COVID-free WA remains effectively closed to travellers from New South Wales, of which Sydney is the capital, due to the presence of the novel coronavirus in the eastern state.
Travellers from New South Wales must apply for a permit to enter the state and quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
WA Premier Mark McGowan said this week his state would not open up until 90% of its people above the age of 12 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a target expected to be achieved by late-January or early February.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
