Ashes could be in doubt, hints England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have released a statement on the Ashes tour, saying that they will make a decision over 'whether the conditions in place are sufficient for the tour to go ahead' later this week. The Ashes tour to Australia has been in doubt due to the quarantine conditions and players' families accompanying them for the five-match series.

"Over the weekend we have been talking to England men's players and management to provide them with the latest information about the proposed arrangements for this winter's scheduled Ashes tour," said ECB on Monday.

"We remain in regular and positive dialogue with Cricket Australia over these arrangements as the picture is constantly evolving. With health and wellbeing at the forefront, our focus is to ensure the tour can go ahead with conditions for players and management to perform at their best.

"We will continue talking to our players this week to share the latest information and seek feedback. Later this week the ECB Board will meet to decide whether the conditions in place are sufficient for the Tour to go ahead and enable the selection of a squad befitting a series of this significance."

The series is scheduled to start from December 8 and end on January 18. England are due to name a large squad with an England Lions team to be present in Australia while the Ashes are on. Last week, England captain Joe Root said he was desperate to be part of the tour, but did not confirm his participation.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also stepped in on behalf of his country's cricketers and had pleaded with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison in Washington DC last month for the families to be allowed to travel to Australia with the players to lessen the stress caused by staying away from the family during Christmas.

Earlier on Monday, assistant coach Paul Collingwood wrote an Instagram story about the dilemma many in the England team face on travelling without seeing their family members for a long time.

"I love my job and I'm so excited for the winter of cricket ahead but saying goodbye to your daughters for potentially 3 months is not easy, no matter how tough you feel you are. We all make sacrifices in life. Looking forward to meeting up with the team tomorrow because I know we will try to help each other like a family." IANS

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