Mike Owen/Getty Images
Australia and England have arrived in New Zealand for the Women’s Cricket World Cup, but are set to join four rival teams in being unable to train until they’ve completed their 10 days in MIQ.
The teams competing in the Women’s Cricket World Cup have all arrived in New Zealand, but are unable to train while completing their 10 days in managed isolation.
A number of cricket, rugby, and netball teams have visited New Zealand since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and have routinely been granted exemptions to leave their hotels to train, usually after returning negative day-three tests for the virus.
But the national women’s cricket teams of Australia, Bangladesh, England, Pakistan, South Africa, and the West Indies are all set to spend 10 days unable to bat or bowl ahead of their showpiece event, which begins three weeks from Friday.
ANDREW VOERMAN/STUFF
Cricket World Cup boss Andrea Nelson speaks on the impact of the shift to the red traffic light setting.
Australian coach Matthew Mott said ahead of his team’s departure that they were “prepared for the worst” in terms of being stuck in their rooms and having no chance to train properly, while South African star Marizanne Kapp said on social media while in transit, “the thought of spending 10 days in a room, by yourself in quarantine, makes everything … 100 times worse”.
READ MORE:
* White Ferns make winning start to 2022, beating India in lone Twenty20 international
* One Twenty20 to go before White Ferns can focus fully on ODIs and the World Cup
* White Ferns’ stars can’t do all the heavy lifting at Women’s Cricket World Cup
* White Ferns preparing to ‘live the bubble life’ until end of Women’s Cricket World Cup
The six World Cup teams all arrived in New Zealand over the past week, with Australia and England the last to touch down on Thursday. The seventh visiting team, India, arrived late last month, in order to play a series of limited-overs matches against New Zealand’s White Ferns prior to the World Cup, which started on Wednesday.
India were granted an exemption that allowed them to train after returning negative day-six tests, while the South African men’s team, in New Zealand to play two tests against the Black Caps, is currently in managed isolation as well, and was allowed to train after returning negative day-three tests.
Tournament organisers and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, which oversees the managed isolation and quarantine [MIQ] system, were vague in their explanations as to why the six World Cup teams have not been granted exemptions to train.
It is understood discussions are ongoing, but as things stand, the logistical challenges of providing up to seven teams (including the South African men) with access to training venues at the same time while adhering to MIQ procedures have proved insurmountable.
In a statement, an MIQ spokesperson said: “Officials have had a number of discussions with Cricket World Cup 2022 regarding the desirability of all teams to train whilst in MIQ. However, an exemption was only granted for the Indian team, who entered New Zealand well in advance of the remaining six teams”.
“Decisions regarding exemptions take into account a number of factors including public health advice, risks associated with departure destinations, requests from other sports teams to train, and availability of suitable resources to safely undertake training outside of their managed isolation facility.
“Officials have been working with, and continue to work with, CWC22 to ensure that the best possible environment is provided to ensure the wellbeing of players leading up to the tournament.”
Tournament organisers have had to adapt to New Zealand’s changing border restrictions, and they have also forced changes elsewhere in the global cricketing calendar – most notably for Australia and England, whose Ashes series across the Tasman was originally set to finish on February 19. It is understood the changing restrictions have resulted in teams arriving closer together than originally planned.
The six teams currently in MIQ are set to complete their stays by February 21, ahead of a series of warm-up fixtures in Rangiora and LIncoln starting on February 27, leading into the tournament opener between the White Ferns and the West Indies in Mount Maunganui on March 4.
In a statement, World Cup chief executive Andrea Nelson chose to emphasise the fact that all the teams had now arrived in the country.
“By [Thursday night], all eight teams will be in Aotearoa – we’re delighted to welcome them and are looking forward to a fantastic tournament this summer,” she said.
“We are continuing to work closely with the Government to deliver the best possible preparation for teams during their stay in MIQ.
“After their stay, all teams will get support for at least five additional training days ahead of the warm-up week to help their preparations.”