PUNE (India) England coach Andy Flower has barred his players from seeing their wives and girlfriends (WAGs) for the first five weeks of the on-going tour to Australia. The first Test is on November 25 but the squad will not be allowed to see their families until after the second Test in Perth, scheduled to finish on December 7. The Cricket Australia (CA) in stark contrast to Englands policy will allow wives and girlfriends of players more often than ever during the Ashes series. We embrace work-life balance and families are welcome anytime. Our official visitor period is around Christmas and new year but families are welcome at times in between (at their owncost), Philip Pope, Media Manager CA, said from Melbourne. The CA does have a policy of trying to do as much as possible to recognise the impact of frequent travel on Australian cricketers and their families, Peter Young, General Manager Public Affairs CA, also said from Melbourne. Our team travels frequently and our location in the south of the southern hemisphere means our players and team management travel long distances as well. recognising this, we encourage as much contact between players and the team management and their families as possible, he added. Our players partner activity includes welcoming partners and families when we tour overseas, funding travel for one designated player partner period when on overseas tour each year and welcoming them on tour at other times, running a work-life balance session with players and partners at a recent annual player camp and hosting families every Christmas/New Year at the Vodafone Boxing Day and New Years Tests in Melbourne and Sydney, Young said. Historically, there have been times when the then Australian Cricket Board banned partners on tour for fear of distracting players but our current policy has been in place now for many years, he added.