Thaindian News

Melbourne, Nov 7 (ANI): Cricket Australia in stark contrast to England’s policy will allow wives and girlfriends (WAGS) of players more often than ever during the Ashes series.

England has banned WAGS for the first six weeks of the Ashes tour, but the Australian players will be able to have their families stay with them at team accommodation whenever they want.

Cricket Australia’s decision comes after it commissioned research from relationship and social experts, which revealed having WAGS on tour eased the strain on family life, and was a positive move for team harmony.

CA is convinced the benefits outweigh the negatives so high-profile WAGS such as Jessica Bratich (Mitchell Johnson’s fiancee), Lee Furlong (Shane Watson’s wife) and Rianna Ponting (Ricky Ponting’s wife) will be regular fixtures, News.com.au reports.

CA will not only continue its policy of paying for the WAGS to stay during the festive period of the Melbourne and Sydney Tests, but will also allow them to stay during all other Tests this summer.

Australia’s players will be staying at family-friendly, apartment-style accommodation in every venue rather than hotels and the WAGS can stay as long as they pay for incidental costs like breakfast.

Players will not even have to inform skipper Ponting or team management when the WAGS are in residence.

“We have talked to a broad range of experts across a range of fields and decided this is a very good thing,” a CA insider said. (ANI)