Cricket Australia(CA), on Sunday, said they were pressing ahead with plans to the hold the third Test against India in Sydney despite a growing coronavirus outbreak in the city.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A Covid-19 cluster has risen to 68 cases since it emerged on Thursday, with parts of Sydney's north in a snap lockdown and restrictions placed on travel to several other states.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Test is due to be held from January 7 and CA interim chief Nick Hockley said they were watching the situation closely, with contingency plans in place.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We have made no changes to our schedule and our preference remains to play the match at the Sydney Cricket Ground," he said in a statement as speculation mounted that it would be moved.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"CA has prepared for the possibility of Covid-19 hotspots and state border closures over the course of the summer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"The protocols that we have put in place have been effective in ensuring the safety and success of the men's and women's domestic and international programs to date.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We will continue to work closely with all relevant parties to make the right decisions in the appropriate timeframes," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
If the Sydney clash goes ahead, a problem could be getting the players to Brisbane for the final Test a week later after Queensland state announced Sunday it was effectively closing its border to Sydney.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The second Test starts in Melbourne on Boxing Day and back-to-back Tests there could be an option.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Otherwise, they could return to Adelaide, where Australia won the opening Test by eight wickets on Saturday, or host two in a row in Brisbane.<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2020\/12\/aus-vs-ind-cricket-australia-stick-with-sydney-test-plan-despite-covid-surge.jpg", "alt_img": "image for cricket Sydney Cricket Ground ", "alt_title": "Sydney Cricket Ground ", "image1": "", "video": "", "seo_title": "Aus vs Ind: Cricket Australia Stick With Sydney Test Plan Despite Covid Surge On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Cricket Australia(CA), on Sunday,\u00a0said they were pressing ahead with plans to hold the third Test against India in Sydney, ", "seo_keywords": "Cricket Australia, India tour of Australia 2020-21, Sydney Cricket Ground ", "tag": "", "tagging": "Cricket Australia,India tour of Australia 2020-21,Sydney Cricket Ground ,", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": "0", "slug": "aus-vs-ind-cricket-australia-stick-with-sydney-test-plan-despite-covid-surge", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": "0000-00-00", "ians_time": "00:00:00", "server_time": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "trash": "0", "view_count": "2566", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2020-12-20 11:34:47", "updated": "2020-12-20 11:35:23", "img_from": "Sydney Cricket Ground", "img_source": "", "schedule_publish": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "news_keywords": "SCG, Gabba, Sydney, Brisbane, India, Australia, Aus vs Ind, Covid-19, Cricket Australia", "livescore_text": "", "livescore_link": "", "btn_text": "", "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "21", "jio_date": "2020-12-20 11:34:47", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": "2020-12-20 11:34:47", "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/aus-vs-ind-cricket-australia-stick-with-sydney-test-plan-despite-covid-surge-68864" }