The Sheffield Shield remains in a state of flux as Cricket Australia attempts to ensure Test stars and hopefuls have ample time in the middle before the Ashes.
CA originally scheduled six Shield rounds before the first Ashes Test, slated to start in Brisbane on December 8.
National coach Justin Langer and other influential figures were desperate for a stack of red-ball cricket in coming months, especially given the fact Australia haven't played a Test since losing to India at the Gabba in January.
But state border closures have left the governing body scrambling to rejig fixtures, especially for NSW and Victoria, and so far a draw between Western Australia and South Australia is the only completed match.
Queensland's COVID-19 outbreak, which prompted Tasmania to essentially walk out on its Shield clash in Brisbane just as the coin was about to be tossed on Tuesday, has further complicated matters.
Players in Sydney and Melbourne have been awaiting an update of substance throughout September, hoping to get the green light to use another state as a gateway to start their Shield campaigns.
There is hope South Australia will answer the sport's SOS but that plan is yet to be rubber stamped.
And the nature of Shield cricket, involving four-day contests and much concern about bowling workloads, means CA's challenge is more complicated than that of the AFL.
"We're hoping that we go into quarantine, not this weekend coming but the weekend after," Victoria coach Chris Rogers told SEN.
"Probably looking at about four weeks from now (until they play).
"We were planning to start the season September 11, so we had the guys up and ready around that stage.
"Since then, we're almost in a bit of a holding pattern."
Players were ready to quarantine in the Northern Territory but that plan didn't come to fruition.
"It's a bit of a rollercoaster ... we've had a few false starts," Rogers said.
"Emotionally, it's a bit up and down. You have your moments where you think it's all set to go then the rug is pulled out.
"You can just sense guys are getting a little bit, not bored, but frustrated they can't play proper matches."
It's believed CA and players were keen to avoid a repeat of last year's Shield hub, when Adelaide hosted all six state squads at the start of the season.
Yet NSW and Victoria, whose female counterparts are already in Tasmanian hotel quarantine ahead of the Big Bash, are both facing long stints away from home.
Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes and Jason Sangha - all part of the NSW XI that lost the Shield final earlier this year - have at least been able to play grade cricket in Brisbane.
The young guns travelled to Queensland after an off-season stint in Darwin, rather than return home.
