After getting his 27th Test ton, premier Australian batsman Steve Smith said that they would love to play at The Gabba despite the tough protocols. Meanwhile, a recent COVID positive case has put the match in jeopardy. Gavaskar’s comments came in after the Queensland government announced a three-day lockdown in the city post the positive case. A cleaner at a quarantine hotel in Brisbane tested positive for the highly contagious U.K. variant of Covid-19, prompting the state government to take drastic action.

Speaking at the virtual press conference, Smith spoke about Australia’s willingness to play at The Gabba. The Australian team have a very good record at the venue, which is why they are pushing for a case to play at the venue. 

We Would Like To Play At The Gabba: Steve Smith

“To my knowledge, not anything is changed from our point of view, we will wait and see and that is not our decision to make, we are the players and we go where we are told and do what we need to do, but we would like to play at the Gabba for sure,” Smith said. 

Brisbane is scheduled to host the Test match from January 15and Sydney is the backup venue in case Brisbane is not ready for the game in time. Meanwhile, the BCCI has asked for an ease on the COVID rules and regulations. They are awaiting a response from Cricket Australia on the same as well. 

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The new COVID positive case also means that the crows at the venue will considerably lessen now that the government is looking to put on strict restrictions. While a crowd capacity of 36000 was expected for the five days, Cricket Australia will have a rethinking to do on the number. 

“Reducing the capacity of the venue is crucial in achieving social distancing requirements,” Cricket Australia interim chief executive Nick Hockley said in a statement Monday outlining refunds and a ticket re-sale period.

The SCG had already been reduced to 50% capacity because of restrictions in place for the coronavirus pandemic and Cricket Australia has halved that again — to a crowd of less than 10,000 daily — after consulting with the state government and health authorities.

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