Matches Postponed by Cricket Australia: Afghanistan Test and New Zealand ODIs

The Afghanistan Test and the one-day series against New Zealand that are to be hosted by Cricket Australia this November are now officially canceled. According to Cricket Australia, this is because the pandemic made it hard for them to arrange the matches of both series.

The cancelation and postponements of many sports events have been a common occurrence since March of this year when the pandemic started to take place. Not only cricket but also other sports events like the English Premier League and the NBA have suffered because of this. Even the sports betting industry has been dull for a few months, but it’s already on its way to recovery. The best sports betting offers are now up and about for sports punters.

However, since June, many sports events have already started to come back and this is why sports fans were hopeful that sports events scheduled at the latter part of this year will no longer be challenged by the on-going health crisis. Unfortunately, for cricket fans, some matches will still be postponed before the year ends.

Cricket Australia has confirmed that the on-off Test match with Afghanistan and the three one-day internationals with New Zealand will have to be postponed and they are confident that these will be rescheduled before the end of the year 2023 or before the current FTP ends.

Nicky Hockley, the interim chief executive of Cricket Australia said this in a statement:

“Cricket Australia looks forward to working with our good friends at the Afghanistan Cricket Board and New Zealand Cricket to deliver the matches at a time when, hopefully, the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have eased.

“We all worked incredibly hard to make the series happen this summer, but the challenges around international travel and quarantine restrictions ultimately convinced all parties that the series would need to be played at a later date.”

According to reports, Cricket Australia is in a broadcasting standoff with Channel Seven. The broadcasting company is said to have demanded a discount and withheld its last payment to Cricket Australia this month. Channel Seven has expressed their concerns about overpaying for the prospect of a lighter summer schedule because of the pandemic. However, Cricket Australia refused to offer a discount because they had the intention to provide a full summer schedule in the first place.

The canceled Test against Afghanistan, which would have been held on November 21 in Perth, would have been Australia’s first home Test. However, the men’s national team will still be able to host India with four Test matches, three ODIs, and three T20s. “CA looks forward to welcoming the Indian men’s team for a full schedule of matches this summer in what promises to be an incredible contest across all three formats,” Hockley said.

Meanwhile, the women’s team will start the matches in the first week of October in Brisbane. They will be heading out there to go against New Zealand. They will have a total of three T20s with New Zealand and all of these will take place in the same venue.

The pandemic has hugely impacted Australia’s cricket scene as the country was forced to postpone the Twenty20 World Cup. This would have also been held in the country in October and November.

Aside from those, the warmupT20 matches against the West Indies and Zimbabwe have also been canceled. The same goes for the proposed two-Test tour of Bangladesh that would have taken place in June as part of the ICC’s World Test Championship.

With the postponement of many cricket events in Australia, the proceeding tour by India that will consist of four Tests, three ODIs, and three T20s had officials concede the funds. This means that the funds that these matches will generate will be very crucial to the future of Cricket Australia.

However, recent news reveals that Cricket Australia has announced a partnership with Dettol. Dettol is now the official naming-rights parent for the men’s ODI and t20 series for the next four years. This somehow alleviates Cricket Australia’s financial woes caused by the pandemic.

Dettol has replaced Gillette, the previous sponsor for the men’s matches. The four-year deal will also see Dettol as the naming partner of the men’s support staff as this was previously handled by Bupa. It is also known that Dettol will also have involvement in the women’s team.

“Dettol is such a well-known and trusted brand with a long heritage, both here in Australia and around the world, and their support will give confidence about protecting the return of community and elite cricket this summer. Beyond this summer, we look forward to working with Dettol to help embed hygienic behavioral change into schools, clubs, and communities through cricket,” Hockley said.