COVID-hit BBL announces revised schedule; moves 7 matches from Jan 11-16 to Victoria

Cricket Australia (CA) on Saturday announced that all teams will be moved to Victoria state in a bid to further prevent the league from getting affected by COVID-19 outbreaks. The Australian cricket board confirmed the revised schedule for matches that are slated to be played from January 11 to January 16.

All players and support staff will now be based in Victoria for the remainder of the season. All clubs have been moved to the same location so that the schedule could be revised again in case of more COVID-19 cases inside camps.

In a statement published on cricket.com.au, Cricket Australia said that 7 out of 11 matches scheduled from January 10 to January 16 will be played in Victoria. However, the statement also confirmed that some matches will still be played in other states, including in Sydney, where the Sixers and Thunder are slated to lock horns on January 15. Brisbane is also scheduled to host a game between the Heat and Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba on January 12. 

'To reduce risks to players, support staff'

All teams have been moved to the same location keeping in mind the health and safety of all stakeholders, including players and support staff. Earlier this week, Brisbane Heat were forced to hand eight debut caps for a match against Melbourne Renegades after most of its first-choice players were ruled out due to COVID-19. 

"The past week has thrown many COVID-related challenges the Big Bash’s way, but throughout we have remained steadfast in our resolve to safely and successfully complete the season. These changes are designed to help the League and Clubs deliver on this, while also reducing risks to players, support staff and the matches themselves.

Having our players based in one state provides significantly greater flexibility to manage any further impacts of COVID-19," BBL General Manager Alistair Dobson was quoted as saying on cricket.com.au. 

Meanwhile, the statement further confirmed that the Sixers' scheduled match against Perth Scorchers on January 9 will go ahead as planned. The match is slated to be played on the Gold Coast, where both teams are currently present. The Sixers on Thursday became the seventh team to be impacted by COVID outbreak after four players returned positive tests.

Adelaide Strikers are the only team left to report COVID-19 cases as of yet. Cricket Australia further said that it will confirm the dates for the remaining matches in the coming days.

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