Hazlewood says if Adelaide cannot host first Test, CA should pencil in Brisbane or Melbourne

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Sydney, November 18: Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood suggested that the first game of the four-match Test series against India can be played with the red-ball in either Brisbane or Melbourne if the situation does not improve in Adelaide.

India and Australia are slated to lock horns in three ODIs, three T20Is, and four Tests. The first Test would be a day-night match at Adelaide, but of late, South Australia have witnessed a spike in COVID-19 cases.

South Australia is entering a hard lockdown for six days as Adelaide continues to grapple with a coronavirus outbreak and it has casted doubt on whether the series will start in the city as planned.

Hazlewood has said the pink-ball Test should only be played in Adelaide and as a result, he has suggested that the first Test of the series can be a red-ball contest in either Brisbane or Melbourne, and later a pink-ball match can be played in Adelaide.

"He (curator Damian Hough) has got the wicket perfect at Adelaide for a pinkball Test. A few grounds around Australia are too abrasive or too hard, such as the Gabba or Perth. Those wickets are too hard for a pink ball, it goes quite soft after a certain amount of time," cricket.com.au quoted Hazlewood as saying.

"Could be a red ball (first Test in) Melbourne or Brisbane or somewhere, then we head back to Adelaide later on in the summer. From all reports, we're still good for Adelaide but it can always change, hopefully, they can get on top of it in the next week or two," he added.

Hazlewood also suggested that the first Test at Brisbane would help all the pacers as Brisbane will keep getting hotter as the summer progresses. Currently, the last match of the four-Test series is slated to be played at the Gabba, Brisbane.

"The longer we wait the hotter it gets up there, so the quicks would all be happy to get that game done in December. We obviously have a really good record up there and it's a great place to start," said Hazlewood.