Aussie cricketers considered Eden Park boycott

The Australian cricketers were already considering a boycott of the scheduled T20 game against the Black Caps in Auckland before it was moved to Wellington.

That's according to Australian media reports who have quoted the Aussie spinner Ashton Agar as saying Covid-19 ramifications are testing the players' mental and physical state.

The Daily Telegraph said some state governments had classified Auckland as a "red zone" meaning automatic quarantine, with no exemptions possible, for people returning to Australia.

Agar said: "We have faith in cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket that they have the players' physical and mental health in their best interest.

"They've made sure that they've looked after the players' mental and physical wellbeing and come to the right decision.

"COVID moves so quickly and we have to move with that.

"It's not the ideal situation…no one really likes the thought of quarantine.

"There's a lot of guys who have done up to six weeks of isolation and quarantine, maybe more, and they've got more coming up.

"Cricket doesn't stop throughout the year and with this situation there seems to be a lot happening.

"We've had a briefing, management has kept us up to date. We have to look forward to the games that are coming up, and that's all we can do at this point in time."

New Zealand lead the series 2 - 0, with the three remaining games all to be played behind closed doors in Wellington which is under level two restrictions this week.

Game four was scheduled for Eden Park in Auckland, which is in a level three lockdown.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission