In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the major sporting events were called off or postponed. A number of cricket tournaments were rescheduled as well. The cricket boards had to end or postpone their respective domestic actions. Meanwhile the boards kept the off-field action ongoing. While South Africa named the contracted players for upcoming season, Cricket Australia decided to defer the announcement for the time being.
The announcement of Cricket Australia’s players contract list was deferred by at least a month due to the pandemic scare all over the world. The novel virus outbreak that took more than 30000 lives globally forced the Australian cricket board to take a call on the same. A ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ report suggested that Cricket Australia had “planned to bring forward the announcement of contracts from May to April this year, in a bid to provide more certainty to the states given the flow-on effect.” It further added, “But that plan has been put on hold for now until the end of April, given the economic uncertainty due to the pandemic. The Australian Cricketers’ Association agreed to the move.”
Earlier Cricket Australia had called off its domestic Sheffield Shield and the players of the season were awarded. New South Wales all-rounder Moises Henriques and Victoria Batsman Nic Maddinson had won the award jointly. The three-match ODI series between Australia and New Zealand were also cancelled after the first game. Australia’s upcoming tour of Bangladesh in June and England in July are also in doubt.