New Zealand postpone limited-overs Australia tour due to border uncertainty

Black Caps were to leave within days to play three ODIs from January 30 and in a one-off T20 on February 8

Australia players winning the T20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday, November 4, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Mitchell Marsh celebrates winning the T20 World Cup final. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Australia's David Warner scored a fine fifty to set up victory over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final at the Dubai International Stadium. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Australia's Mitchell Marsh scored a superb fifty against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday. Chris Whiteoak / The National

David Warner celebrates reaching fifty at the Dubai International Stadium. Chris Whiteoak / The National

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson held the innings together with a fifty. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Australia's Steve Smith fields at the boundary. Chris Whiteoak / The National

New Zealand's Kane Williamson is caught on the boundary by Steve Smith. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3-16. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Australia's Glenn Maxwell at the Dubai International Stadium. Chris Whiteoak / The National

New Zealand’s short white ball cricket tour to Australia, which was to begin later this month, has been postponed because of uncertainty over the team’s return home.

The Black Caps were to leave within days to play Australia in three one-day internationals from January 30 and in a one-off Twenty20 match on February 8.

When the tour was scheduled, New Zealand Cricket anticipated the introduction of less restricted travel between Australia and New Zealand would mean the team wouldn’t have to isolate on their return. But the spread of the omicron variant in Australia, and its threat to New Zealand, has caused the government to defer a move to quarantine-free travel for New Zealanders returning home.

New Zealand Cricket hadn’t booked places for the team in managed isolation and hasn’t since been able to secure any. The government had planned to make new places available this week but has also deferred the release of new isolation vacancies.

NZC worked with Cricket Australia on a number of alternatives, including extending the tour in the hope isolation places might be available later. It decided Wednesday the tour could not proceed with so much still uncertain.

"NZC and CA had explored a proposal to expand the tour and to push out the date on which the squad might return to New Zealand in the hope that might be more achievable for the government,” NZC chief executive David White said. “We just ran out of time unfortunately, we couldn’t receive the certainty from the Government so we had no choice.”

Discussions over re-scheduling the tour are continuing.

The New Zealand team would not have contained any Test players who were to remain in New Zealand to prepare for an upcoming Test series against South Africa.