NZ vs AUS T20 Series – All remaining matches in Wellington: The remainder of Australia’s T20 series against New Zealand will be played behind closed doors in Wellington due to Auckland’s COVID19 outbreak. On Monday, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) shifted the fifth and final match of the series, scheduled for Sunday afternoon, from Tauranga to Wellington’s Sky Stadium. New Zealand leads the 5 match series 2-0 at this stage.
They had already moved Thursday’s game four to Wellington from Auckland – which is in a second coronavirus lockdown in a month. New Zealand Cricket said the “change has been forced on NZC because of logistical complications”.
New Zealand vs Australia T20 Series – New Schedule
New Zealand vs Australia 1st T20 Feb 22, Mon
New Zealand won by 53 Runs
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
New Zealand vs Australia 2nd T20 Feb 25, Thu
New Zealand won by 4 Runs, University Oval, Dunedin
NZ vs AUS 3rd T20, Mar 03, Wed
Westpac Stadium, Wellington, 11:30 AM
NZ vs AUS 4th T20, Mar 05, Fri
Westpac Stadium, Wellington 11:30 AM
NZ vs AUS 5th T20 Mar 07, Sun
Westpac Stadium, Wellington 8:30 AM
Spinner Ashton Agar said given the ongoing health threat, “the right decision has been made”. “They’ve made sure that they’ve looked after the players’ mental and physical wellbeing and come to the right decision,” he said.
Australia’s players spent the weekend off in Wellington and resume training on Monday.New Zealand’s squad dispersed over the country during the break and have four Auckland-based players in isolation, awaiting COVID19 test results before resuming training in Wellington.
None of those four – Martin Guptill, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Phillips – have travelled to the affected region in Auckland, and left the city as soon as the latest restrictions were announced.
Cricket Australia is yet to solve another issue – getting the touring party home without the need for a second fortnight of quarantine. The squad is currently due to fly home from New Zealand from Auckland next Monday.
The outbreak has prompted state governments to designate Auckland as part of the “red zone”, meaning anyone that has visited New Zealand’s biggest city is ineligible for a quarantine exemption. Agar said the players – who were considering a boycott of the proposed Eden Park match before it was shifted – had been briefed on the matter by management.
With nine Western Australians in the T20 squad, the situation is particularly tricky with that state’s strict border rules.