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Megan Schutt will miss Australia's home series against India as NSW and Victoria-based women cricket players go on standby to enter two weeks' quarantine.
Cricket Australia is set to place some women's players into quarantine from next week as the sport begins to navigate its most difficult summer of COVID-19 restrictions.
Selectors on Wednesday unveiled an 18-woman squad for the home series against India, with a Test, three ODIs and three Twenty20 scheduled.
Megan Schutt has become the first player affected, with the world's top-ranked pace bowler staying in Adelaide with her pregnant partner amid concerns border restrictions could stop her returning home for the birth.
Her absence will leave Australia without their two top-ranked bowlers, with spinner Jess Jonassen succumbing to a stress injury in her tibia.
But that will only be the start of the challenges facing both the team and Cricket Australia for the men's and women's fixtures.
While small outbreaks around the country caused headaches last summer, the current situation has the potential to be a far bigger issue.
Australia's women have already gone four months without a training camp, watching on as India spent the winter playing in England.
The first ODI of the India series is scheduled for Sydney on September 19 but that game and three T20s in the city in October will inevitably be moved.
Players from NSW and Victoria are on standby to fly interstate next week and enter quarantine, with the hope of a camp in early September.
Players have also been vaccinated, meeting Western Australia's conditions for entry for the September 30 WACA Test.
However even entry to the west will at this stage require an exemption with the border closed to everywhere bar Tasmania and Northern Territory.
"We're working with the state governments to try and organise some sort of camp, we want to get the girls together before the series begins," chief selector Shawn Flegler said.
"I know our government team are working really hard on what that looks like getting across to WA to play the Test match.
"We're really hopeful that happens."
Schutt's series absence for the first time since 2014 opens the door for the next generation of quicks to join Ellyse Perry.
Tayla Vlaeminck is fit again, while out-and-out speedster Darcie Brown and the pace and height of uncapped 19-year-old Stella Campbell could be factors in Perth.
Maitlan Brown is an option to make her Australian debut in the white-ball formats, while Annabel Sutherland is also injury-free.
Australia will likely rotate bowlers, with a big year ahead that includes a home Ashes, 50-over World Cup and Commonwealth Games.
"It does leave a bit of a hole (without Schutt) and one we're not used to having," captain Meg Lanning said.
"We will certainly miss her but we've got a number of fast-bowling options."
AUSTRALIA SQUAD:
Meg Lanning (capt), Darcie Brown, Maitlan Brown, Stella Campbell, Nicola Carey, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Redmayne, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham.
