SYDNEY, (Reuters) – The first cricket test between Australia and India will now take place in Adelaide as part of a major reshuffling of the series following the death last week of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes.
The first test was supposed to start in Brisbane on Thursday but has been delayed until next week and switched to Adelaide to give grief-stricken players more time to recover with Hughes’ funeral taking place tomorrow.
“Nobody should underestimate just what these players are going through right now,” Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland said in a statement yesterday.
“These are difficult days and we need to support them in dealing with their grief.
“It’s very clear that playing a Test right now is just too soon and we are reacting accordingly.”
The Australian and Indian cricket boards met with the players’ union (ACA) and other key stakeholders, including broadcasters and commercial partners, before agreeing on a new schedule for the lucrative Border-Gavaskar series.
The dates for three of the four tests were changed and the entire series squeezed into 33 days, despite fears of player burnout before the World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand early next year.
“Based on our discussions with the players and with support of health experts, we believed the first test in Brisbane was still too early for them to return to the field, and that the Adelaide test presents more time for them to grieve and mentally prepare,” ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson said.
Adelaide Oval, which was due to host the second test from Dec. 12-16, will now host the series opener from Dec. 9-13, in what is sure to be a highly emotional occasion. Brisbane will now host the second test from Dec. 17-21 while the third test will proceed as planned from Dec. 26-30 in Melbourne.
The fourth and final test will still take place in Sydney in the New Year, but will start on Jan. 6, three days later than originally scheduled.
Some changes were expected after CA postponed the start of the first test and the Indian team, currently in Adelaide, cancelled their flight to Brisbane yesterday.
Hughes died in a Sydney hospital last Thursday, two days after he was struck in the head by a short-pitched delivery during a domestic first-class match.
