(Reuters) – England’s wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler said he might skip the end-of-year Ashes tour over concerns about being apart from his family due to Australia’s COVID-19 restrictions.
England will play the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in October and November before heading to Australia, likely keeping players who feature in both away from home for four months.
After pulling out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, Buttler said he may also miss the end of the ongoing test series with India due to his wife expecting their second child.
“One of the challenges is working out where the line is where you say I can’t do that,” Buttler told The Times newspaper. “I’ve sacrificed a lot for cricket and my wife and family have sacrificed a lot.
“You have to be open to” saying no, he said. “It would be incredibly disappointing if some players feel like they can’t do it, but we’re in a world at the moment where that is a possibility.”
England players are seeking assurances their family members would be allowed to join them in Australia, with the England and Wales Cricket Board in talks with Cricket Australia to secure that passage.
Australia has closed its borders in an effort to control COVID-19, with limited flights and 14-day mandatory managed isolation for returning citizens.
“COVID is incredibly challenging for everyone and Australia has a very strict policy in how they’ve tried to deal with it,” Buttler said, adding that living for long periods in bio-bubbles was a further complication.
“Until we get more information about what it (the Australia tour) might look like, it’s impossible to know what decision you’re making.”
