The Perth Scorchers' delayed flight to Hobart has forced a rescheduling of the Sunday WBBL matches amid the southern Tasmania three-day snap lockdown.
Perth were due to play the Brisbane Heat on Sunday morning at Blundstone Arena, followed by the Hobart Hurricanes taking on the Sydney Sixers in the afternoon.
But the games have been flipped, with the Hurricanes game at 10.15 am and the Scorchers playing from 1.40 pm.
The Scorchers delayed their flight by 24 hours because of the lockdown, which was announced on Friday afternoon.
But it became clear later on Friday that the weekend's WBBL games would go ahead and Cricket Australia confirmed it on Saturday morning.
The Melbourne Renegades beat Hobart by six wickets on Saturday afternoon, followed by defending champions the Sydney Thunder playing Adelaide in the evening.
All of the weekend's matches are going ahead without crowds and under strict biosecurity controls, with the players wearing masks when they are not on the field.
"Alongside the safe execution of the season from a biosecurity perspective, we are also committed to prioritising the wellbeing of all players and staff," Cricket Australia said in a statement announcing the Sunday schedule changes.
Earlier, Cricket Australia's Big Bash Leagues general manager Alistair Dobson said they were incredibly thankful to the Tasmanian Government for allowing the weekend's WBBL games to go ahead.
"We'd also like to express our gratitude to players and staff from all clubs, plus match officials, broadcast partners and venue staff for their understanding as we worked through the final details with the Tasmanian Government," he said.
"The experience gained from last summer means all involved in the Weber WBBL are well prepared to do whatever necessary to conduct a safe and successful competition this year."
Just a day after Sydney Sixers beat Melbourne Stars in the first game of the tournament on Thursday, Hobart was plunged into a three-day lockdown with fears of a potential COVID-19 outbreak.
More than 20 games are scheduled in Tasmania over the next two-and-a-half weeks, in a bid to begin the WBBL during Sydney and Melbourne's lockdowns.
After the opening third of the tournament is staged in Tasmania, the competition moves on to Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.
Australian Associated Press
