Shane Warne urges England players not to withdraw from Ashes 2021-22

The fate of Ashes 2021-222 is under dark clouds with several England players reportedly not willing to obey the strict quarantine restrictions imposed by the Australian government. Although the tour is expected to be approved by the England and Wales Cricket Board, there’s a possibility of ECB naming a second-stringed team. With Ashes being Test cricket’s oldest rivalry, the absence of prominent English cricketers won’t please fans.

In order to avoid the same, Australia’s legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne has urged England’s cricketers not to pull out of this winter’s Ashes series over Covid-19 and travel rules. For the unversed, England players and staff members are set to spend the first 14 days in Australia at a Gold Coast resort. At the same time, their families would be serving quarantine at a country club in Melbourne before they all meet up again.

With Cricket Australia making such arrangements, Warne, a veteran of 145 Test matches, wonders why any of England’s stars are hesitant to take part in the series. He even reckoned it should be more of a holiday for England players rather a quarantine period.

I’d be disappointed if any of the England players pull out: Shane Warne

“What I’ve heard is that England are being given a resort for their 14-day quarantine – swimming pool, golf course and everything for their families. Surely, that’s a holiday for two weeks and not quarantine. If they have a resort, have a swim, play golf, have lots of fun with their families and kids in the pool – it’s actually summer so the sun will shine and will be warm,” Warne told talkSPORT.

Warne, who boats the highest number of wickets in the historic rivalry, further said he’ll be disappointed if any of the English players withdraw from the tour. “If they can do all that then hopefully we will have a full strength England team out there for the Ashes. I’d be disappointed if any of the England players pulled out because I don’t know why they’d be pulling out. It’s an Ashes series, the biggest in the world,” he added.

“You can define your career by what you do in an Ashes series. But, in this day and time, if someone feels it’s going to be too hard on them, you have to accept that,” Warne asserted further.