Eight top Australian players likely to pull out of West Indies and Bangladesh tours

Australia have a packed calendar ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in 2021. The Men in Yellow are set to tour West Indies and Bangladesh for the limited-over matches. With two away tours coming up and considering the bio-bubble environment and quarantine rules, many of the top players might pull out of the tour.

Apparently, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, and Riley Meredith are the ones who are likely to miss the series. While there is no conclusive news as to why the above players might pull out, but mental health is one of the primary reasons apart from the physical issues.

After the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) got suspended on May 4, the Australian bound players faced a lot of difficulties as they had to take a halt in the Maldives before jetting off to Australia due to the ban of direct flights from India.

It certainly took a toll on players who missed their loved ones a lot during these tough times. According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, Cricket Australia (CA) selection chief Trevor Hohns recently spoke to all the 23 players in the preliminary squad announced for the West Indies tour about the bio-bubble fatigue and mental wellbeing.

Australian top players opt-out

“During the course of those discussions, it has become clear that recent experiences abroad, including but not limited to extended periods in bio-secure hubs and hard quarantine, have had an impact on the health and wellbeing of some players and their families. CA has maintained that the wellbeing of players, staff and officials is a top priority, and never more so than during the COVID-19 pandemic given the extraordinary challenges it has placed upon international athletes and sporting teams,” Trevor Hohns said.

Now Australia have added six new players to the preliminary squad with Dan Christian, Cameron Green, Ashton Turner, Wes Agar, Nathan Ellis, and Ben McDermott – as the backup options for the eight players who are likely to opt-out.

Australia will play five T20Is and three ODIs against West Indies starting from July 10 and then they travel to Bangladesh to play five more T20I games in August.