The ECB is STILL locked in talks with players and management to decide if the winter’s Ashes tour will go ahead – with a final decision now expected later this week
- England players were briefed on conditions for 11-week Ashes tour on Sunday
- A video conference call took place with the ECB hierarchy and Cricket Australia
- An England Lions squad will also be selected if ECB commit to five-match series
- Last week, England captain Root himself stopped short of committing to series
The ECB will decide later this week whether they can fulfil their Ashes obligations this winter.
As reported by Sportsmail, the England players were briefed for the first time on the conditions they and their families would be asked to abide by on the 11-week tour on a video call with Cricket Australia on Sunday night.
A statement from the ECB read: ‘We remain in regular and positive dialogue with Cricket Australia over these arrangements as the picture is constantly evolving. With health and wellbeing at the forefront, our focus is to ensure the tour can go ahead with conditions for players and management to perform at their best.
The ECB will decide later this week whether they can fulfil their Ashes obligations this winter
The players and the ECB hierarchy including Tom Harrison were involved in a video conference call with Cricket Australia on Sunday
‘We will continue talking to our players this week to share the latest information and seek feedback.
‘Later this week the ECB Board will meet to decide whether the conditions in place are sufficient for the tour to go ahead and enable the selection of a squad befitting a series of this significance.’
If England do commit to the five-match series, in addition to an Ashes squad, an England Lions party will also be chosen.
Cricket Australia informed them if the conditions they and their families would be asked to abide by on the 11-week tour
In all, around 30 players will be heading to Australia. The Test specialists fly out in the opening days of November.
England will definitely be without Moeen Ali, who retired from Test cricket last week, and injured fast bowler Jofra Archer, who will meet the ECB’s medical team today to discuss recent check-up scans on his troublesome right elbow while Ben Stokes remains out of the game for an indefinite period for mental health reasons.
Last week, England captain Root himself stopped short of committing to Test cricket’s most venerable series and Jos Buttler said he won’t tour it it means spending months away from his young family.