Quarantined Australia players in good spirits, says Carey

Melbourne - Carey and a slew of his Australia teammates are midway through a two-week quarantine period in Sydney

Many of Australia’s cricketers have not seen their families for months while playing under novel coronavirus protocols but they remain in good spirits as they prepare to meet India over the home summer, wicketkeeper Alex Carey said on Tuesday.

Carey and a slew of his Australia teammates are midway through a two-week quarantine period in Sydney after returning home last week from the Indian Premier League, which was played in a biosecure bubble in the United Arab Emirates.

Having arrived Down Under on the same day as the Australians, the Indian team are in the same boat, and both sides will be straight into the first one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Nov. 27, the day after completing quarantine.

Training sessions are the players’ only break from the monotony of being holed up alone in their hotel rooms, so they have been taking to practice with gusto, said Carey.

“It’s really strict - which is good,” the 29-year-old told reporters of quarantine in a video call from his room.

“Once we’re back in the hotel from training we’re locked in our rooms. No contact with anyone else.

“At 9 a.m., we’re really excited to get out of the hotel and head to training which brings a lot of energy to group sessions.

“Everyone’s staying really tight on that, we understand that (with) the summer coming up, doing everything right is what we have to do.”

“Joining this little bubble here we get to see our mates and familiar faces. All the guys here are really strong from all the indicators that I’ve seen.