Michael Vaughan suggests moving remaining Ashes Tests to MCG amidst COVID scare

Ahead of the start of day two of the third Test, two England cricket team support staff and two of their family members tested positive for Covid 19. This then led to a panic situation wherein the entire squad had to undergo Rapid Antigen Tests. Owing to this the play started half an hour late on Monday, December 27.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan however feels that Cricket Australia needs to take a call on this entire scenario as soon as possible. He reckoned that the management must think of playing the next Test match in Melbourne itself as it will avoid the traveling of players, broadcast, and production staff to Sydney in these tough times.

“I think Cricket Australia has to act quickly and be proactive in terms of the situation. It’s unprecedented times. Could the next Test match be played here in Melbourne, under lights at the MCG, to make sure we all stay in Victoria where the protocols are different to Sydney? Do we really want to risk taking two teams over to Sydney, broadcast and production staff? You get to the SCG, there’s one case in the team on day one and the Test match is off,” Vaughan said on fox cricket.

Cricket Australia has to be proactive and realize that it’s not going to be easy: Michael Vaughan

The fourth Test match is staged to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground with the final Test scheduled in Bellerive Oval, Hobart. Victoria has also reported a considerable number of Covid cases on Monday but the former England captain asserted that keeping the entire group in one place will be safer amidst these situations.

“Surely Cricket Australia have to be proactive and realize that it’s not going to be easy (even) staying here with what we’ve seen this morning (with the England team). The fact that it’s a family member (who tested positive), Christmas Day everyone’s going to have been around that family member, so there is a chance the COVID positive could spread around the side.

It (relocating the last two Ashes Tests to MCG) could be a good possibility. What’s the best way to get those last two Test matches played in as safe an environment as possible? For me, the sensible way would be ‘alright, we’re all in Melbourne, we know the protocols are different here, stay here, play the next Test match and see how the land lies in 10 days’ time,” Vaughan added.