Former England skipper Andrew Strauss has advised England players to board the plane for the Ashes tour as well. The Ashes series and England’s participation in it has come under the scanner amid the crunch time of COVID-19 and its quarantine rules as well.
However, the Australian government has refused to relax the quarantine guidelines for England players and their families. It is understood that players, including the captain Joe Root, will take a call on their availability soon as well.
However, Andrew Strauss told the Daily Mail: “To me, the Ashes need to go ahead. We are learning to live with Covid in this country and Australia is in a slightly different place. But the Ashes means a lot to a lot of people, and some of them are people that are going through a tough time themselves. There is a way of making it happen and I think we are moving in the right direction. I think there will be accommodations made and that families will get out there.”
If You Are Selected For Ashes You Should Play: Andrew Strauss
He continued: “Personally, I think if you are selected on an Ashes tour, you should go. An Ashes tour is not the one to pull out of, in my opinion. But I understand that everyone sees things slightly differently. But I think that between Cricket Australia, the Australian government and the ECB, they will find a way that works for both the players and their families.”
On the other hand, Australian Test captain Tim Paine said that the Ashes will take place, doesn’t matter which England players will play. However, Andrew Strauss further added that the tourists would have a tough task even if all their important players are available.
“I think we are going to have to play a lot better than we did this summer, put it that way. Our top order needs to function better than it has done for a long time. Playing against the new ball in Australia is a very tough thing to do. There will be a lot of responsibility on our bowling attack. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad will have a role to play but we can’t just rely on them to win us the Ashes,” Andrew Strauss concluded.
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