Rajasthan Royals' fast bowler Andrew Tye has pulled out of the remainder of the ongoing 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) with the immediate effect, fearing getting “locked out” of Australia in the wake of the latest surge in COVID-19 cases in India.
It is being said that Tye has flown back to Australia on Sunday (April 25) after getting to know about the mounting quarantine cases from India in his hometown Perth, Australia.
However, he didn’t reveal any specific reason behind his move but admitted numerous factors played a role in his IPL 14 exit, including among the reasons the rise in COVID-19 cases being observed in Australia from India.
Tye told 'SEN Radio' from Doha on Monday (April 26) from where he transited to Sydney, “There was a number of reasons, but the main one was with the situation that has started to happen back home in Perth with a lot of cases in hotel quarantine coming out of India.”
The RR pacer further added, “Now there's been a community case in Perth governments are trying to restrict numbers coming back in, especially Western Australia.”
He also said the bio-bubble fatigue was also a factor behind his decision to pull out of the ongoing IPL 2021. Tye added, “I just thought to try and get on the front foot and get home before I got locked out of the country. It's been a long time in bubbles and hubs — doing the calculations earlier, think I've had 11 days at home out of the bubble since August, so for me, I just wanted to get home.”
While the United Kingdom and New Zealand have already imposed a travel ban for Indians, Australia has also reduced flights by 30 percent and there could be more restrictions in the coming days.
Australia’s leading cricketers including David Warner, Steve Smith, and Pat Cummins are also playing in the ongoing IPL 14 and Tye claimed that they are also keen to take the first flight back home as India is recording more than 3 lakh COVID-19 cases per day over the past one week.
Tye further added, “There are definitely concerns (from the Australians). A lot of guys have been in touch today once they realized I was leaving. Some of the guys are very interested in what route I took home and other guys are just happy to make sure I'm okay. Not sure if I'll be the only one.”
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He concluded, “They are having over 300,000 cases a day and they are only the ones being reported, we know there's probably a lot more than that number who can't get tested. Yes, the IPL and BCCI have done an amazing job of keeping us safe but at the same time it's tough and you also feel bad for the number of people out there with COVID and we are still able to play cricket.”
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association have issued a joint statement on Monday and said they are monitoring the situation in India.
The statement reads: “Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association remain in regular contact with Australian players, coaches, and commentators taking part in the Indian Premier League, which is being conducted under strict biosecurity protocols.”
It added, “We will continue to listen to feedback from those on the ground in India and the advice of the Australian Government. Our thoughts are with the people of India at this difficult time.”
(With PTI Inputs)
