Melbourne hub introduced to help keep BBL show on the road

All eight teams will be moved to one location for the final weeks of the campaign as several sides tackle Covid-19 outbreaks

Big Bash League teams will all be situated in Melbourne in an effort to keep the tournament running amid the growing threat of Covid-19.

While some matches will be moved to Victoria, teams can play home matches interstate.

Charter flights will be used to ensure contact between travelling sides and the general public is minimised.

Several teams have suffered outbreaks, forcing the postponement of two matches but it is hoped these measures can limit the disruption going forward.

^{Nick Hockley has also tested positive for Covid-19 (Mark Evans/Getty Images)}

“It’s very complex. We are gradually moving the teams into Melbourne,” Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley told SEN.

“We saw the other night we had a critical mass of teams in south-east Queensland, and we were able to rejig fixtures to keep going.

“The last 10 days of the group stage of the competition, we will be gradually moving teams into Melbourne.

“They will still fly in and fly out for games in home markets.

“But if a team is impacted it gives us much more opportunity to swap teams in.”

^{Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat have been the worst-affected sides in the BBL (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)}

Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat have been the worst affected sides with regard to Covid positives, with both having matches put back and replacement players added to their squads.

Including the postponed matches which are yet to be rescheduled, 22 regular-season games remain before the playoffs are due to start from January 21.

“While it’s not ideal, it’s great the level of commitment everyone is showing to the competition continuing,” Hockley added.

“In every step, we have prioritised the health and wellbeing of those involved.

“We have a clear plan now for the final run-in. We are very confident we will be able to complete the competition fully.”