Australia Test captain Tim Paine fears the Boxing Day Test against India could be moved out of the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in the wake of rising cases of coronavirus in Victoria. With the case load rising in Victoria, Cricket Australia (CA) is open to the idea of shifting the Boxing Day Test to Perth, where the situation remains under control. "Certainly, from a player's point of view, we want to be playing in front of big crowds at the best venues and a big day like Boxing Day is something that everyone looks forward to and a big part of that is playing at the MCG," the keeper-batsman said in a video message posted on CA website.

"Fingers crossed things are going well enough that we can do that but, as I said, we are spoilt for choice here in Australia with some world-class stadiums. If something had to change, then, again, we have plenty of options." If the match is shifted to Perth, the CA plans to hold it at the Optus Stadium, which can sit 60,000 supporters and is regarded as the best venue in Australia outside the MCG.