Smith, Warner finally reach Australia
After two weeks of hiatus, 38 Australians including the likes of David Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Ricky Ponting touched down on Australian soil on Monday morning from the Maldives after the IPL 2021 was suspended on May 4 following the COVID-19 crisis in India. The Australian contingent was moved to the Maldives where they waited for Australia to lift the travel ban. Another Australian, CSK’s batting coach Michael Hussey, will reach Australia from India having recovered from COVID-19.
The group arrived reached Sydney at 7.30 AM on Monday via Kuala Lumpur on an Air Seychelles flight. However, the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner and Pat Cummins could not immediately leave the Maldives after the travel ban had expired. All the players and support staff were to return two negative COVID-19 results before boarding the flight to Sydney on May 16, reports Inside Sports.
But Steve Smith, David Warner and others will not be able to go home as they will need to spend further mandatory 14-day in quarantine in a Sydney hotel and return two COVID-19 negative results. Earlier, the New South Wales government had struck a deal with the returning Australian contingent on quarantining in Sydney hotels and fly through Kuala Lumpur from the Maldives.
IPL 2021: The Australian, Michael Hussey, wasn’t among the contingent. The Chennai Super Kings batting coach had tested positive for COVID-19 and was isolating in Chennai. A day before Australia lifted the travel ban, Hussey tested negative and the former Aussie batsman would board a flight from India to return home on Monday.
On Sunday, Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison was asked if the contingent had been given any special exemption. Morrison said they weren’t.
“They haven’t been given any, I can tell you that, and they’ll come in addition to the cap in NSW. That’s something we insisted upon and they were happy to agree with that. But they’ll come back under their own steam, on their own ticket, and they won’t be taking the spot in quarantine of any other Australian who is returning home under the NSW caps,” Morrison said.