WA Cricket officials are increasingly bullish over the chances of Perth remaining as host of the fifth Ashes Test.
A day after Tasmania made a pitch to steal the match off Optus Stadium, WA Cricket chief executive Christina Matthews claimed Premier Peter Gutwein was "wasting his ink".
Instead, the WA boss remains insistent the drop in case numbers in NSW is helping her organisation's chances of Cricket Australia and the Western Australian government reaching an agreement to cross the closed border.
It came as a report in the West Australian newspaper claimed that players could have their quarantine in the state lowered from two weeks to five days.
As things stand there is only a four-day gap between the SCG and Perth matches, meaning the Test would need to be pushed back one day to January 15 unless it starts under quarantine protocols.
Any agreement on conditions would also need the sign-off from both Australia and England's playing group.
"We remain very positive," Matthews said.
"We know that things are moving in the right direction. What we don't know is when the final details will be put to bed.
"We will wait as we have always done for our government to sign off on it.
"What I am happy to say is Tasmania wasted the ink in their printer."
Matthews' comments come after WA Premier Mark McGowan last week declared he was "very confident" a plan could be made to allow the series finale to be played in Perth.
Matthews said she was aware any move to minimise quarantine time could draw criticism, given the hard-line stance the state government had taken through the pandemic.
But she believed the government would be willing to do whatever possible to ensure the match was played at the 60,000-seat Optus Stadium.
"The Ashes Test match is a massive event. As big, if not bigger than the AFL grand final in terms of being on a worldwide scale," Matthews said.
"I don't think it's something the government wants to lose easily. So they are working really hard to make it happen.
"There is always going to be someone who is unhappy with the arrangement and someone who has had an unfortunate experience with the (border) process.
"We'll stick to what we're doing and what we know, and hope that cricket fans get an opportunity to be part of the first ever Ashes Test at Optus Stadium."
