As the Australian cricketers safely arrived in Sydney on Monday (May 17), Cricket Australia (CA) CEO Nick Hockley thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for getting them home quickly and safely from the Maldives after the suspension of the IPL 2021.
The Australian contingent of 38 members was stranded in the Maldives after the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) was suspended following the rising COVID-19 cases inside the bio-bubble. The Aussie players, coaches, commentators, and other officials were forced to stay in the Maldives since May 6, as the Australian government had banned the travelers from the COVID-19 hit India till Ma 15.
However, the BCCI managed to send the large Australian contingent back home safely from the Maldives on a charter flight, as they were landed in Sydney on Monday (May 17) and now they will serve mandatory two-week hotel isolation before returning to their respective homes.
Hockley told Sydney Morning Herald: “We're delighted. We're really grateful to the BCCI for getting them home quickly and safely. I haven't spoken to them since they've landed, but obviously, we've been in text exchange and I'm sure they'll be very relieved and very appreciative to be home.”
On being asked whether he has heard Cameron Bancroft’s remark on the infamous ball-tampering scandal back in 2018 in Cape Town, the CA CEO said: “No.”
He was also optimistic about Australia's upcoming limited-overs series against West Indies.
Hockley concluded, “We plan each tour as we go. We've got a bit of time now before West Indies. International cricket will need to support each other, we've seen last summer, with India coming here, what a great series that was, and we're committed to supporting other cricketing nations around the world.”
(With ANI Inputs)
