The Western Australian Cricket Association have made a startling back flip on the likelihood of hosting the fifth and final Ashes Test.
While WACA boss Christina Matthews has been confident of hosting the scheduled Test for the Western Australian capital up until now, continuing government regulations and public health orders over travel and quarantine have seen the match widely questioned.
It is well known Tasmania have put their hand up to host the Test, should Perth not be able to meet requirements for both teams.
At one stage, the Ashes themselves were in jeopardy, with England only agreeing to revised plans for travel and quarantine. It's also been reportedly raised by broadcasters, with specialised crew needing to be flown into Western Australia to cover the Test.
The Western Australian government seem unlikely to budge though, and Matthews openly admitted to ABC Radio's grandstand program on Saturday that the Test is looking shaky.
"I'd probably say at the moment I'm 50-50," Matthews told ABC Radio's National Grandstand program.
"I'd gone as high as 97 per cent, but I've gone back to 50-50. We'll wait and see."
The Western Australian government would undoubtedly need to relax some demands for the game to go ahead.
"It's a matter of whether cricket can meet those demands or not," Matthews added.
"One of the difficulties for cricket is just the high level of technology that's needed around the broadcast and the number of people that are needed around the broadcast compared to an AFL broadcast.
"It's one thing getting the players in (but) it's another thing getting the people who have to broadcast."
The comments come despite the Western Australian government allowing two BBL games to be played in Perth during December, as well as two A-League games to be played in early January.
Complicating matters however, the teams and broadcasters will be coming from Sydney, rather than a designated safer area of the country when it comes to coronavirus cases.
It's also a rapid turnaround from the fourth to fifth Test, with just five days off, meaning no quarantine will be possible.
