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Xtra Time Web Desk: Cricket Australia along with Australian Cricketers Association in a joint statement on Wednesday confirmed the exit routes of the Australian cricketers from India back home. All the 39 members including players, support staffs and commentators will be travelling to either Maldives or Sri Lanka before heading back to Australia. Chennai Super Kings batting coach Mike Hussey will remain in India as he was tested COVID-19 positive on Tuesday, forcing him into 10 days’ isolation at the IPL team’s hotel in Delhi.

The Australian contingent may leave in groups, possibly as early as Thursday, so that the entire party is not adversely affected if a person was to return a positive test.

The Australian contingent will have to wait out the Australian Government’s travel ban on flights from India, due to end no earlier than May 15, before being flown home on a plane chartered by the IPL to undergo a fortnight of quarantine in Australia.

ACA chief executive Todd Greenberg during a press conference held at the Sydney Cricket Ground said they are awaiting the Government’s decision how to bring back their players, coaches and commentators.

“We’re still waiting to hear what the government are going to do post-May 15 and once we have that confirmation we’ll put the next start step in place.”

Greenberg claimed the sudden banning of flights from India had caused the players anxiety.

“They signed up for India [the IPL] with their eyes wide open about some of the challenges and risks when they went in. That’s stating that up front. They always know they would have to do isolation for 14 days.

“What they didn’t expect was the borders would be closed so that created some anxiety for them, as it created for the 9000 Australians over there waiting to come home.

CA interim chief executive Nick Hockley defended the governing body’s decision to allow the players to play in the IPL despite the global pandemic.

“The IPL put so much effort into putting on the tournament,” he said. “They obviously did that on the best information at the time.”

Hockley praised the Board of Control for Cricket in India for the way they were looking after the Australians at the IPL.

“The BCCI have been absolutely fantastic,” Hockley said. “Not only are they committed to the first movement to either the Maldives or Sri Lanka but also committed to putting them on a charger to bring them back to Australia.”