WBBL relocates to Tasmania amid border closures

The seventh edition of the women's Big Bash will begin in Tasmania, with the state to host the first 20 matches of the season after COVID-19 border closures forced a shake-up of the original schedule.

Weber WBBL|07 will still begin as scheduled on October 14, but instead of meeting at North Sydney Oval, the Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars will instead play under lights at Hobart's Blundstone Arena.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL WBBL|07 SCHEDULE

All eight teams will travel to Tasmania for the first fortnight of the season, with matches played across three venues with Launceston's University of Tasmania Stadium and Invermay Park joining Blundstone Arena.

Ongoing border closures restricting movement out of New South Wales and Victoria forced the changes, which impact the first 20 matches to October 27.

WBBL players based in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra will be required to quarantine for a fortnight ahead of the opening matches.

For the Victorians, it will be the second year they have needed to complete a fortnight in isolation after doing the same to join last year's Sydney hub.

The WBBL is the latest competition to be impacted by the outbreaks across NSW, Victoria and the ACT, which already forced the national team's CommBank series against India to be moved in its entirety to Queensland, and the start of the Marsh Sheffield Shield, Marsh One-Day Cup and the Women's National Cricket League to be postponed.

The start of two other elite women's competitions, the AFLW and NRLW, have also been pushed back to the new year due to the ongoing difficulties in moving around Australia.

The WBBL's arrival in the state comes amid uncertainty about the Australia men's Test against Afghanistan, scheduled to begin on November 27, after Cricket Australia said it would not host the game if the Taliban government did not support women's cricket.

Broadcast plans for the moved WBBL matches remain the same, and Alistair Dobson, CA's General Manager of Big Bash Leagues, said the league remained committed to putting on the tournament in full.

"We'd like to thank our fans across the country for their continued patience and understanding as we navigate the challenges of the pandemic," Dobson said in a statement.

"We are delighted to take the opening fortnight of Weber WBBL|07 to Tasmania, whose exceptional facilities and strong public health record – including hosting the opening stanza of KFC BBL|10 – make it an ideal place to begin the season.

"Each year the Weber WBBL brings together the best players from around the world, including players from our world champion Australian team, for a world class, family-first cricket festival.

"We know the Tasmanian public will come out in force throughout the season to see many of the world's best in their own backyard."

The original schedule released in July featured an opening festival weekend at North Sydney Oval followed by midweek matches at Blacktown International Sportspark and a second weekend of games in Moe and Perth, before midweek matches in Launceston.

That fixture had matches down to be played in all six states across the season, but ongoing difficulties in moving around the country may force further changes, and the league will continue to monitor public health conditions and state border restrictions.

Ticketing information for Tasmania's WBBL|07 matches is yet to be finalised.

But, as in previous years, fans in Australia will be able to watch all 59 matches live and free on either the Seven Network or cricket.com.au.

A total of 47 games will be televised – 11 more than last season – with 24 of those free-to-air on Seven and simulcast on Foxtel.

The other 23 games will be shown on Foxtel and Kayo Sports, as well as live streamed on cricket.com.au.

The remaining 12 matches will be live streamed for free on cricket.com.au, while games will also be broadcast on ABC Radio.