Cricket Australia have confirmed that the fifth Ashes Test between Australia and England will no longer be played in Perth due to Covid restrictions, with discussions regarding a replacement venue underway.
Western Australia have a 14-day quarantine rule and the Optus Stadium in Perth - which was brought in during the last Ashes series contested Down Under - was scheduled to host the final Test, which begins on January 14, 2022.
Talks are being held within Australia’s governing body to find a replacement venue, with options in Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney - the host city of the fourth Test pencilled in to be played between the 4th and 9th of January.
The Ashes officially begins on December 8 with the Australian government opting to delay the reopening of its borders to some foreign nationals due to worries concerning the new Covid variant, Omicron.
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley admitted having to relocate the fifth Test from Perth was frustrating.
“We did everything we could in partnership with the Western Australia government and Western Australia Cricket to make it work under the current border and health arrangements, but unfortunately this was not possible,” Hockley said.
“We are particularly disappointed for Western Australian cricket fans who were so looking forward to seeing the first ever Ashes Test at the new stadium.”
The fifth Test could now be moved to Melbourne - the host of the third match of the Ashes - and it may be played as a day-night match. The second Test will be a day-night match, played in Adelaide.
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Other options include Sydney staging both the fourth and fifth Tests or the final game being played in either Canberra or Hobart.
Cricket Australia are going to desperately try to host the final Test in Perth. However, ‘border controls, quarantine requirements and the complexities of staging a five-Test series in a tight schedule’ means the priorities of all relevant parties may not be met.
“These complexities also mean that any suggestion of changing the order of the venues would not be feasible,” the body added.
Ashes Tests in Perth were previously held at the WACA Ground from 1970 until the last series in Australia in 2017-18, with the Optus Stadium taking over after it opened in January 2018.
