Star cricketer Pat Cummins and other Australians isolating in India are stranded after the IPL was suspended amidst the news of COVID-19 breaking into the strict biosecurity bubble.
A few days back, the Australian Government ruled that the citizens returning from India before May 15 could face a jail time of up to five years or hefty fines, thereby making the journey illegal. This has led the Aussie players anxious about their future.
Cummins, opening up to the media, stated that the decision of the Australian Government came as a shock, and the players knew the risks associated with playing the league in India. He is currently in a six-day isolation period in his hotel in Ahmedabad after two of his fellow Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) teammates tested positive on Monday.
The decision of the Australian Government to make the journey back to their homeland from India illegal has attracted much criticism. Australian opener Michael Slater slamming the order said that Prime Minister Scott Morrison had “blood on your hands” for shutting down the borders and not allowing the citizens to return.
On being asked to comment on PM’s decision, Cummins said, “Once we flew out of Australia we knew we were signing up for 14 days quarantine coming home, so you always feel that little bit further away from getting home.”
“As soon as the hard border shut, obviously no-one has experienced that before. It added a bit of anxiety for a few of the Aussies over here. But we signed up to play the tournament until the start of June. Hopefully it all reopens on May 15 and we’ll be able to get back.”
Cummins further remarked that the BCCI’s decision to play in multiple cities in India could have differed.
“Last year we had the IPL held over in the UAE and that was an incredibly well-run tournament”, the right-arm pacer added.
“This year, they tried to push it that little step further and have it over here in multiple cities in India. I’m sure looking back they might have tweaked a few things”.
Observing the current health situation in India, Cummins further remarked: “It’s two different worlds. We’re lucky, we’re safe, we’re comfortable, and there’s people just trying to get basic medical treatment.”
