BBL 2021: Perth Scorchers 'Challenger' moved to Canberra amid lockdown

After the Western Australian Government announced a five-day lockdown in Perth amid the Coronavirus situation, Cricket Australia (CA) announced that the Thursday's Challenger match in the Big Bash League (BBL), scheduled to be held at the Optus Stadium would now be shifted to Manuka Oval. 

The match was originally supposed to be hosted by the Perth Scorchers after they were defeated in The Qualifier on Saturday night, however, as per CA, they would now face the winner of the ongoing 'Knockout' match between Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat as they continue to remain in Canberra. 

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Official statement by Alistair Dobson

While speaking on the development, Cricket Australia's Head of Big Bash Leagues, Alistair Dobson said, "The League would like to extend its best wishes to all KFC BBL fans in Perth, particularly those Scorchers fans who were hoping to see their team in action this Thursday, following the announcement of a hard lockdown by the WA Government."

"We support all governments across Australia in their efforts to manage the ongoing public health situation and wish Western Australia all the best in managing these latest developments. Likewise, we would also like to thank the Perth Scorchers for their understanding regarding the decision to move The Challenger to Manuka Oval. This has been an unprecedented KFC BBL season and the ongoing flexibility and cooperation has been vital in getting us to this point of the Finals series," he added. 

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The ongoing BBL 2021 season which premiered on December 10 will end at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on February 6. The winner of the match between Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat will take on the loser of the qualifier between the Sydney Sixers and the Perth Scorchers in the Challenger Final on February 4.

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(With Agency Inputs)