NSW's promise as virus rocks Ashes schedule

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NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard insists the 4th Ashes Test volition beryllium played successful Sydney adjacent week contempt authorities regulations that could unit the lucifer to beryllium abandoned oregon moved.

Hazzard's warrant came arsenic Australia retained the Ashes urn successful an innings decision of England connected the 3rd time of the MCG Test, aft players from some sides returned antagonistic COVID-19 tests.

Holding an Ashes Test successful Sydney comes astatine a greater hazard than playing a lucifer successful Melbourne owed to the differing authorities regulations.

FULL RECAP: Re-live the 3rd Ashes Test successful our play-by-play blog here

While a adjacent interaction of a affirmative COVID-19 lawsuit indispensable isolate for 7 days nether NSW rules, the Victorian government's stance is simply a workplace adjacent interaction lone needs a antagonistic result.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan argued for the 4th Test to beryllium held astatine the MCG alternatively of the SCG to debar the heightened risk.

"Do we privation to hazard taking 2 teams implicit and broadcast crews and accumulation staff?" Vaughan said connected Fox Cricket.

"Then you get to the SCG and there's 1 lawsuit successful the squad connected (the archetypal day) and the Test lucifer is off."

But Hazzard said NSW Health would enactment with Victorian wellness authorities successful the combat against imaginable COVID-19 cases "in a mode that ensures the adjacent Ashes Test astatine the SCG successful January tin proceed".

"The SCG Test is sacred, an important day astatine the commencement of the 3rd twelvemonth of our beingness with COVID-19," Hazzard said.

"I privation to guarantee the cricket-loving public, nether our rules immoderate players with vulnerability to a known lawsuit of COVID-19 would beryllium asked to trial and isolate lone until a antagonistic effect was received.

"If determination are immoderate cases wrong the teams, their enactment unit oregon families, we volition enactment with the radical progressive to guarantee they are safe, and determination is arsenic small disruption to others arsenic possible."

England committed to the Ashes connected the information that neither a bubble nor isolation would beryllium imposed, aft the campy was forced to endure respective hard experiences successful the look of COVID-19.

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Former Australia skipper Mark Taylor says it's important the tourists are assured they won't beryllium forced into different of those experiences.

"I deliberation we've got to person a connection to the England campy and reassure them they won't beryllium each locked up for the adjacent 2 weeks if idiosyncratic was to instrumentality a affirmative test," Taylor told Wide World of Sports.

"That's going to beryllium the sticking point, and however they grip that I don't truly know.

"We each privation to spot a Sydney Test spell ahead, but I tin recognize the England cricket side's concerns. They've played a batch of cricket successful caller times and the past happening they privation is to get locked up for 7 days.

"There volition beryllium a spot of nurturing and managing of players implicit the adjacent week oregon so, but hopefully the Sydney Test volition spell ahead."

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