Five BBL matches moved due to Western Australia Covid-19 restrictions

Perth Scorchers will now face Hobart Hurricanes in Tasmania and both Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars at the Marvel Stadium. The venues for their matches against Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers are yet to be confirmed

Perth Scorchers will spend the remainder of the 2021-22 Big Bash away from home due to Western Australia’s strict Covid-19 border restrictions.

From Saturday, December 17, New South Wales will join Victoria as an 'extreme risk' zone, a move which will prevent travel into Western Australia except in extraordinary circumstances. Borders are scheduled to re-open on February 5 when vaccination rates reach 90 per cent.

As a result, Perth Scorchers, who have recently been in Sydney, will play their five remaining home matches at alternative venues.

Their home clash with Hobart Hurricanes, scheduled for December 20, has been relocated from the Optus Stadium to Blundstone Arena in Hobart. Perth’s home matches against Melbourne Renegades (December 26) and Melbourne Stars (December 30) will both be held at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.

^{Perth Scorchers will now play their remaining five home matches at alternative venues [Steve Bell/Getty Images]}

The venues for their home matches against Sydney Thunder (January 5) and Sydney Sixers (January 6) are yet to be confirmed.

This decision comes hot on the heels of the decision to relocate the fifth Ashes Test from Perth to Tasmania and will be a huge blow for the Scorchers, who haven’t lost a match on home soil since January 24, 2020.

Christina Matthews, WA Cricket CEO, said: "We are extremely disappointed for our members and fans who love coming to the Scorchers match days and cheering on their team at Optus Stadium. We would love nothing more than to play these matches at home to show our appreciation to our supporter base.

"We have worked tirelessly over the past few months to secure as many BBL matches as possible. Unfortunately, the border restrictions and the League’s inability to change fixtures has meant we have had to relocate our home matches to continue our season.

"We are incredibly grateful to our members, fans and partners who stood by us last year in a similar situation. We know how important home games are to them and to our team.

"Our team have started strong with three wins from their first three matches and there is no doubt our players will be putting in the extra effort to finish the season off on a high as a gesture of thanks to all our supporters."

RELATED LINKS (open in external window in app)

Big Bash 2021-22 team guide: Perth Scorchers

Big Bash fixtures 2021-22: Full BBL schedule, matches, dates