Unbalanced logo

England players cleared for second day of MCG Test after COVID-19 scare

MELBOURNE, Dec 26, In Melbourne on Monday, Australia moved within striking distance of retaining the Ashes, but the outcome of the series is now more likely to be decided in a laboratory rather than on the field, following an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in the England camp.

By pathanPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
Like

England staff members tested positive

Two England support staff members and two of their family members were sent in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. The squad was thrown for a loop as they prepared to go to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for day two of the third test.

After undergoing fast antigen testing, all of the players were cleared, and play continued uninterrupted with the exception of a half-hour delay.

To be able to return for day three on Tuesday, England will need to wait for the results of more extensive PCR testing, which they do not anticipate to obtain until the morning of Tuesday.

Rules and Regulations of ICC

Under ICC regulations, teams are permitted to substitute players who have been ruled out by COVID-19 with the consent of the match referee, so long as the substitutions are regarded "like-for-like" and do not provide the other team an unfair advantage.

“The manner in which the match would be conducted if there was a positive COVID-19 case among the players”, according to an England team spokesman, was still up in the air.

In addition, it was not clear if players would be considered close contacts of any sick team members and would be required to separate themselves.

England paceman James Anderson

In a press conference, England paceman James Anderson said, "We're all having PCR tests now."

It's apparent that all of those things must come out in the open and in the most transparent manner possible. We will just have to await the outcome of this process.

Despite the COVID stress, England's last practice on Monday was demoralizing for the team, which was facing down the barrel of yet another huge defeat after defeats in Brisbane and Adelaide.

At stumps, they were 31 for four in their second innings, still needing 51 runs to force Australia to play again in their third innings.

England team must be win after losing

Joe Root's team must win in Melbourne in order to keep the series alive after falling down 2-0.

Despite the fact that the odds are stacked against them, having the match called off would be a tough pill to chew for the players involved.

In the event that the Melbourne test is postponed or rescheduled, holders Australia would retain the urn by default, despite having two more tests to play in Sydney and Hobart.

This has the potential to cast a shadow over the remainder of the series.

England players were hesitant

England's players were already hesitant to trip Australia under the rigorous COVID regulations, and that reluctance is likely to intensify now that the Ashes have been lost and there is nothing left to play for on the international stage.

Cricket Australia (CA) is understandably anxious for the series to go as planned since a significant amount of income is at risk.

Despite the fact that authorities in Sydney are dealing with a significant increase in COVID cases, CA CEO Nick Hockley said there was no need to change the timetable or move the fourth test to Melbourne.

In an interview with reporters at the MCG, he said, "We have a tremendous deal of faith in the processes.”

” This is something that we will have to live with for the foreseeable future," says the author.

Even if it does not have an influence on Australia's domination in the series, COVID has already shown to be a significant disturbance.

In the wake of being identified as a close contact of a case, Cummins was compelled to skip the second test in Adelaide and to be isolated for a week.

culture
Like

About the Creator

pathan

#news

#sport

#cricket

#football

#etc

Our Site Will Provide all Sport News

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.