The Brisbane Test between India and Australia on January 15 is in further doubt following the actions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the BCCI had an official communication with Cricket Australia that they will not be able to travel to Brisbane if the quarantine measures are hardened. Senior BCCI officials have stated that a hard quarantine in Queensland was unnecessary as they had already had a 14-day quarantine prior to their arrival in Australia. The issue of players being 'stressed' under the bio-bubble has come into huge focus.
What is causing the issue in Brisbane? The coronavirus bio-bubble that was designed by Cricket Australia for the venues of Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane allowed for players to not be confined in hotel rooms and they could mingle in designated communal areas. However, the hard isolated quarantine is at the insistence of the Queensland government. To make matters worse, Queensland has reported it's first coronavirus case after more than 100 days when a worker at a quarantine hotel in Brisbane tested positive for the new UK strain of the coronavirus which is highly infectious. In a report on 9news, Brisbane is preparing to enter a three-day lockdown after the latest community outbreak. Queensland only has 1265 cases with 1234 recoveries but this latest development has worried the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison as well.
The situation regarding whether Brisbane will host the Test on January 15 has been thrown into a tense situation when Queensland's state shadow health minister Ros Bates stated that if the Indian cricket team cannot play by the rules, they should not come. The comment by Ros Bates was viewed as arrogant by the BCCI and they have not taken to her words kindly.
Queensland's Shadow Sports Minister Tim Mander said that "same rules must apply for everyone", adding that the Indian team should not come if they do not want to abide by the rules. "If the Indian cricket team wants to spit the dummy and disregard quarantine guidelines in Brisbane for the fourth Test, then they shouldn't come. The same rules must apply for everyone. Simple," Mander said.
In the event of the Brisbane Test not happening, the fourth Test might take place in Sydney or in the worst case scenario, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy might be curtailed to a three-Test series.