THE Ashes is going to be played Down Under from December 8. But even before a ball is bowled, the high-octane, scheduled five-match Test series is in some serious jeopardy, as initially the families of England players are not allowed to travel with the team due to the Australian government’s strict quarantine norms.

But things might change as Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of England, said that his counterpart Scott Morrison will do everything possible to get the Ashes started by letting the English players’ families travel.

Top sportspersons are allowed entry in Australia only when they undergo quarantine for 14 days in a hotel upon arrival from any country. The family members are not allowed to travel with them.

Earlier, former England captains Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen asked for the Ashes to be called off if the players are not allowed to get their families in.

Several of the English players were also contemplating skipping the three-month-long Ashes tour if their partners or wives are not accompanying them to Australia.

Johnson, meanwhile, said that Morrison has not committed to entirely solve the situation but he has promised to work on the solution and find a way forward. “I raised it and he said he was going to do his best for the families. The cricketers, it’s very tough to be away from their families for so long over Christmas. He merely undertook to go away and come back with a solution,” Johnson said, according to I news.

The Australian government had to resort to strict quarantine norms because of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the country. Also several of the big cities as Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney have failed to have proper vaccination drives. And so they have opted for this zero-COVID strategy.

Morrison has also clearly stated that they will change the strategy only when the majority of the Australian public are properly vaccinated. Speaking about the Ashes, England will look to finally win the series Down Under, since 2010-11.

Meanwhile, Australia will look to continue their home dominance over their opponents. (CricTracker)