Cricket Australia are believed to be looking at the possibility of allowing brief family visits into next month's Big Bash hubs as an option for boosting player morale.
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BBL players are set to spend this year's Christmas period in bubble conditions as part of a rigid first half of the competition, which will be played in Canberra, Tasmania and Queensland. The competition is expected to open up early in the new year and move to different cities, pending the COVID-19 situation around the country.
Sydney Thunder players will spend their first month of competition in Canberra, and host the Melbourne Renegades at Manuka Oval in a Boxing Day blockbuster.
That will mean spending Christmas together as a team, much like the Australian Test side does each year prior to the MCG Test.
Test players traditionally still celebrate Christmas with their families in Melbourne, although biosecurity measures will likely prevent that from being an option this December. BBL players will be subjected to the same set of rules - hence CA's willingness to explore the option of fleeting family visits.
Sydney Thunder star Chris Tremain, who was in Canberra this week representing ACT/NSW Country, is preparing for a Christmas period without wife Shannon and 18-month old son Noah.
"I think they'll stay in Sydney for Christmas and we'll try and work around the best way to get them into the hub during a period when they're allowed," Tremain said.
"We're just working through that now. They didn't come to Adelaide [for the start of the Sheffield Shield season].
"A lot of youngsters who don't have wives, girlfriends, children, they'll be fine, they go about their business, they'll hang out with their mates in their room, play Playstation, do all those little things that you can do at home anyway.
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"It's those people that have families and can't be with them the entire time, they're going to miss their children, miss their partners and that's where it will be challenging.
"The actual living in the hub, I don't think that's the hardest part, you can still get out and play golf you can still go to cafes, sit outside, you've just got to do things a little bit smarter and with a little bit of a twist on things.
"Hub life is a challenge but it's one of the most simple challenges you've got during a worldwide pandemic."
Tremain played in four matches for ACT/NSW Country at Phillip Oval this week, closing out the whirlwind week of fixtures with a seven-wicket loss to Sydney Metro on Thursday.
Recent Thunder acquisition Baxter Holt proved the difference, blasting an unbeaten 82 from just 47 balls as Metro chased down 9-145 with 21 balls to spare to notch a third win of the week.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
