Tim Paine says Ashes are going ahead 'whether Joe Root is here or not'

Tim Paine waded into the England players’ Ashes dilemma and told his opposite number Joe Root: ‘If you don’t want to come, don’t come.’

Australia captain Paine marked the day on which his country’s prime minister Scott Morrison revealed that international travel down under would re-open in seven weeks following 18 months of closed borders by bullishly insisting this winter’s five-match series will go ahead.

That confidence was contrary to ECB chairman Ian Watmore, who told Sportsmail earlier this week that the tour would remain in doubt until the England Test specialists board a plane in the first week of November. 

Although players like veteran seamers Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson plus Essex batter Dan Lawrence have publicly revealed they are willing to travel, those with young families like Root are yet to commit amid uncertainty over the conditions they and their loved ones will face.

‘The Ashes are going ahead.The first Test is on December 8 – whether Joe is here or not,’ Paine told radio station SEN Hobart.

‘It’ll be worked out above us and then they’ll have a choice whether to get on that plane or not.

‘No one is forcing any England player to come.That’s the beauty of the world we live in – you have a choice. If you don’t want to come, don’t come.’

Earlier this week, Root said an away Ashes tour was something all his players were ‘desperate to be on’, adding that for him it was potentially a last chance ‘to make history over there and be part of something special’.

But the 30-year-old stopped short of committing to the trip when he said: ‘It’s hard to make a definite decision until we know what it looks like.We are still waiting for https://tranhmaihuong.com/tranh-go-cuu-hac-du-xuan-duc-dep/ information.’ 

The ECB received quarantine proposals and ‘bubble’ restrictions for the tour from Cricket Australia on September 24 and immediately emailed their players to inform them they would be updated within 10 days.

That timeframe has provided the ECB with the opportunity to negotiate with CA for alterations.Only once they have a final picture of the environment the players will be asked to live in for 11 weeks will it be shared.

Talks between the boards continued on Friday. It is hoped that details will be passed on to the Engand squad by Sunday, and they will be asked for feedback on Monday.

So far, Moeen Ali is the only England player to officially pull out after announcing his retirement from Test cricket but Jos Buttler, whose wife Louise gave birth to their second daughter Margot last month, has said he won’t tour if he has to spend months away from his family. 

Australia demands that all arrivals from overseas undergo a hard quarantine for 14 days but the ECB have lobbied for softer edges to be introduced for families of players which include young children – such as the time locked in a room being shortened for privileges like daily fresh air and exercise.

One other Australian government requirement is that all foreign sports stars must be double-jabbed – not a problem for England, who provided full vaccinations for more than 50 of their international playing pool during the course of the 2021 season.