Cricket Australia (CA) on Wednesday confirmed a delayed start to the 2021-22 domestic cricket schedule, with dates of opening fixtures for South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania announced.
Work is ongoing to finalise the dates and locations of the opening matches for New South Wales and Victoria, given current lockdowns and border restrictions. Further fixtures will be confirmed as soon as possible.
These changes have been made in response to public health conditions, border restrictions and their related impacts. Cricket Australia will continue to prioritise the health and safety of players, staff and officials, cricket fans and the wider community, in navigating the upcoming summer.
Cricket Australia's Head of Cricket Operations and Scheduling, Peter Roach, in an official release, said: "Like all sports, we cannot rule out facing challenges created by the global pandemic at some stage in the season. However, the lessons of the 2020-21 summer have prepared us well to be agile and adapt as required to deliver the best possible season for the players and fans."
"We thank the States and Territories for their support and understanding through this process and are delighted to be making a start to the season. We will build out further fixtures in the coming weeks and announce them once finalised," he added.
The men's domestic season will begin on September 22 with a Marsh One-Day Cup match between South Australia and Western Australia at Karen Rolton Oval. The Marsh Sheffield Shield season will begin on September 24, with the same two sides going head-to-head at the same venue.
Queensland then plays Tasmania in the Marsh Sheffield Shield on September 28 followed by a Marsh Cup match on October 3, both at Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane.
The Women's National Cricket League will now be played entirely after the WBBL|07 season is completed, with the first game scheduled for December 16 with the final set down for March 6.
The full revised domestic schedules for the Marsh Sheffield Shield, Marsh Cup and WNCL will be released in due course.
( With inputs from ANI )
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