New Zealand’s upcoming limited-overs tour of Australia has been postponed due to uncertainty over when the squad may return to the country due to managed isolation and quarantine rules. The tour was scheduled in Perth but had to be rescheduled due to the Western Australian border problems. The tour featured three ODIs and a T20I (Canberra) match.
New Zealand’s ODI series in Australia was abandoned in early 2020 due to Covid-19, which was postponed last season.
Travel to New Zealand is still restricted due to the Covid-19, and all travellers, including citizens, must have a 10-day MIQ upon arrival. Because of these rules, New Zealand planned to send a squad to Australia without their Test players, who would also be preparing to face South Africa.
New Zealand Cricket CEO David White said the visit was initially scheduled after the New Zealand government signalled to relax MIQ restrictions on the Trans-Tasman border. But with the advent of Omicron, the government has set a strict 10-day compulsory isolation for incoming travellers.
The NZC and CA proposed to allow their teams to return at the specified time by MIQ and to prolong the tour. But the New Zealand government turned down their request on Wednesday. This means that the home quarantine system will not be taken lightly.
CA CEO Nick Hockley said it was “disappointing” for the team not to play scheduled matches against New Zealand. However, the CA thanked them for their efforts to run the series, and CA has now stated that it will continue to work with the NZC to reschedule the series.
Australia is still scheduled to travel to New Zealand to play three T20I matches from March 17 to 20. However, this seems unlikely to take place under current rules.