New Zealand vs Australia: Remaining T20 games behind closed doors after Auckland lockdown

The final three matches of the Twenty20 series between New Zealand and Australia will be held behind closed doors at the Wellington Regional Stadium; it follows a new lockdown in Auckland due to the coronavirus pandemic; New Zealand lead the series 2-0

The last three matches of New Zealand’s Twenty20 series against Australia will be played at a closed Wellington Regional Stadium as fans have been barred after a COVID-19 lockdown in Auckland.

New Zealand Cricket moved Sunday’s fifth and final match to Wellington from Tauranga, having already moved the fourth to the New Zealand capital from Auckland.

Australia spinner Ashton Agar said organisers had made the right call.

“They’ve made sure that they’ve looked after the players’ mental and physical wellbeing and come to the right decision,” he told reporters on Monday.

New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland went into a seven-day lockdown from Sunday after the emergence of a new local case of coronavirus of unknown origin.

New Zealand lead the T20 series 2-0 after winning the opening matches in Christchurch and Dunedin.

The third match is on Wednesday.

Martin Guptill is one of four New Zealand players cleared to train after spending time in isolation

Auckland-based New Zealand players Martin Guptill, James Neesham, Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips were put into isolation while waiting for COVID-19 test results, but had been cleared to return to training on Tuesday, an NZC spokesman said.

With Australia needing to win the last three matches to claim the series, Agar said the lack of fans in Wellington could play into the visitors’ hands.

“A home ground advantage always helps when you’ve got a crowd that’s right behind their home team and that’s how it’s been so far,” he said.

“It’s always a fun crowd here in New Zealand, it’s always a great atmosphere, so for them to not have that particularly on a game that the series hinges on could be a massive advantage for us.”