Albury Cricket Club working to bring Zimbabwe international Innocent Kaia back this season

The Zimbabwe international is in daily contact with club officials as Australia's border prepares to re-open.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet declared the state 'open for business' when he announced that quarantine for all international arrivals into Sydney would be scrapped from November 1.

That looks to have opened the door for import players coming into Cricket Albury-Wodonga and Albury has already started the visa application process in conjunction with Kaia's representatives in Africa.

"If we can get him a visa and we can get him a flight, he'll be out here," club president Cameron Walker said.

"This could be a massive game-changer and I think a lot of clubs will be doing exactly what we're doing now.

"I know the Federal Government came out and said it might just be Australian residents and citizens returning but if there's room on a flight and they've got a visa, surely they're allowed to come.

"It'll be interesting because if clubs can get people in, they will."

Kaia smashed 703 runs from just 13 matches in 2019/20, averaging 63.82 and helping Albury make finals for the first time in 13 years.

"We've kept in contact ever since he left," Walker said.

"He's been keen to come back, and he was coming last season if we could have got him out here.

"Between myself, Ross (Dixon) and a couple of the other guys at the club, he's probably messaging one of us every day and vice versa.

"We've been pretty forthright with him in that we'll do what we can to get him out here.

"He loves it, he's a very passionate cricketer and especially now, having just made an international debut a few weeks back, he's keen to continue his cricket.

"He's a game-changer for us. We've recruited very well but if Innocent's pulling on a blue and grey top in the next couple of months, it could be anything for us.

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"He's not only a great cricketer but he's along the lines of what we've tried to do as a club, which is recruit quality people.

"He sits firmly in that spot and it's a bonus he's such a good cricketer."

Walker, clearly energised by the prospect of Kaia's return, also sees the broader benefit of import players coming back to the provincial competition.

"For a long time, Cricket Albury-Wodonga was one of the best, if not the best in Country Victoria but I think we've fallen back a bit over the past six or seven years," he said.

"I don't feel like we've got that title as much as we used to but Innocent alone makes a massive difference to the quality of cricket in the competition.

"Just in our side, people walk taller because he's there.

"We get more out of him but we get 10 percent more out of everyone else as well."

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