Kane Richardson has chosen to stay back with his wife and new-born kid in Adelaide as the city grapples with a COVID outbreak.
Kane Richardson, who was initially part of the Australia squad for the limited overs series against India involving three ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals, has been replaced by Andrew Tye. Richardson, who returned back from the England ODI series and also missed IPL 2020 in order to be with his wife for the birth of their child, has chosen to stay back in Adelaide as the city grapples with a new wave of coronavirus infections in the city. There has been a sudden outbreak in two new clusters in the city and the state government has announced a total lockdown for six days in the city.
Richardson informed selectors of his decision on Tuesday, hours before South Australia announced a six-day "circuit-breaker" lockdown and this has gotten full support from the national selectors. “It was a difficult decision for Kane to make but one which has the complete support of the selectors and the entire playing squad. Kane wanted to remain in Adelaide with Nyki and their newborn son. We will always support our players and their families, even more so given the challenging environment we are in. We will miss what he brings to the team but completely understand and support his decision,” Australia’s national selector Trevor Hohns said.
More complications
Preparations for India's blockbuster cricket tour have been complicated by the outbreak in South Australia, with the first Test scheduled at the Adelaide Oval from December 17-21.
Australian players and staff from outside New South Wales flew into Sydney on Tuesday, with the city having very few corovnaivirus cases several days earlier than planned, because of fears that the latest outbreak could close state borders.
Batsmen Josh Philippe and D'Arcy Short were added to Australia's training squad Wednesday as a precaution, with the remainder of the white-ball squad due to assemble in Sydney on Sunday. Cricket Australia said it remained committed to holding the first Test in Adelaide but was monitoring the coronavirus situation closely. South Australians were told Wednesday to leave their homes only for essential work, to buy groceries or for health reasons. The state is the first in Australia to ban outdoor exercise for all residents since the pandemic began.
The lockdown came as two new Covid positives were linked to a cluster that emerged from an Adelaide quarantine hotel, taking the outbreak to 22 cases.
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