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'Zero chance': Kevin Pietersen says he will not go to Australia for Ashes this year, explains why
Pietersen joined the voices criticising the strict quarantine rules in Australia and said that players are done with staying in bio-bubbles during tournaments.
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen hit out at the quarantine rules in Australia saying that he will not be travelling Down Under this year for the upcoming Ashes series because of them. The Ashes series between England and Australia has been in the news for a while now with several England players expressing their reservations against the strict Covid-19 protocols that are currently in place in the country.
The five-match Test series between the two teams is set to take place between December 8th and January 18th, but there are doubts on whether it may be postponed or suspended, as England players are mulling boycotting the tour due to the strict restrictions in Australia.
Pietersen joined the voices criticising the strict rules and said that players are done with staying in bio-bubbles during tournaments.
"There is NO WAY I would go to The Ashes this winter. ZERO chance! Unless, the ridiculous quarantine rules were squashed and my family could travel with zero restrictions. Players are now done with bubbles! DONE!" the cricketer-turned-commentar wrote in a tweet.
With next month's T20 World Cup set to be played under a strict bio-bubble in the United Arab Emirates, England's all-format players could end up staying in a bubble for almost four months if they go ahead with the long tour of Australia.
Meanwhile, India fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who is currently a part of the Punjab Kings franchise for the Indian Premier League 2021 matches in the UAE also opened up about the challenges of staying in a bio-bubble and admitted it may disturb the mindset of players.
“The biggest challenge is to go out in these times; travelling from one country to the other in bio-bubbles. If there is a long tour, you are away from your family for that period,” Shami told Sportstar.
"The players can get mentally disturbed. And it can be irritating at times. You have to be in your room, and then, there is performance pressure to play for your country and franchise. But this is the best that we can do. You have to be mentally strong to do this,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
