Veteran Australian speedster Mitchell Starc is hopeful of facing a “super-strong” England team in the upcoming Ashes 2021-22 amid the dark clouds over the tourists’ travel plans with their families due to the Australian government's strict COVID-forced rules for travelers.
For the past few months, the issue over Australia’s quarantine rules and arrangements for England’s players’ families for the upcoming Ashes 2021-22 has been a major subject of debate among the cricketers, cricket boards, and even countries top authorities.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has already made it clear that there will be no “special deals” to allow the families of England cricketers to travel with them despite Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson requesting travel exceptions for the families for the upcoming Ashes.
Read Also: Ashes 2021-22: Stuart Broad says he's ready to go to Australia, if fitness permits
However, Morrison said he wants the Ashes to go ahead, but after his statement, it seems there will be no ease in the rules for the England team with many floating the possibility of many star England players withdrawing from the high-profile Test series, starting on 8 December at The Gabba, Brisbane.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started, cricketers, like other sportspersons, are forced to spend most of the time in the bio-bubbles, which has a significant impact on the mental wellbeing of athletes.
The England players are set to be away from their families for at least 4 months, as they are currently playing in the IPL 2021 and then in the T20 World Cup 2021 before Ashes 2021-22 in Australia.
Hence the players want to be with their families for Christmas, but it seems not possible with Australian quarantine rules and the top stars might pull out of the Ashes tour.
With Cricket Australia (CA) in long-running talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and federal and state governments over the issue, the ECB is expected to know a final answer from their players in coming days, and Starc is confident that the hosts will face a strong England in Ashes series.
Starc told the Seven Network: “I can't think that they wouldn't send a super-strong team. They might have one or two (players) with young families, or have been on the circuit a fair bit through Covid times, (and don't want to tour).”
He added, “The Ashes mean as much to English cricket as it does Australia cricket. Stuart Broad mentioned the other day, he'd say yes in a heartbeat, and he's one of their premier fast bowlers.”
On the other hand, Australia’s Test skipper Tim Paine said England and Australian players would just “have to deal with” whatever decisions are made by governments for the Ashes 2021-22.
Paine said on his SEN radio show: “The England team will have to do nothing different than what they're asking the Australian team to do.”
