Aussies resigned to possibility of more COVID cases

Australia are resigned to the strong possibility of uncovering more COVID-19 cases within their T20 World Cup squad ahead of must-win matches against Ireland and Afghanistan.

The sight of a masked-up Matthew Wade on Friday evening interacting with teammates from a distance at the MCG during rain delays may have been jarring for some in a country that had, until recently, enforced some of the world's strictest bio-security rules.

Image Id: D4BCD4E573AE41028DBD5940FA808961 Image Caption: Former Aussie assistant coach David Saker (now with England) catches up with Finch and Wade // Getty

"He's been tucked away in a change room by himself, which he would hate because he needs people around him to keep him entertained," captain Aaron Finch told the host broadcaster on Friday night.

Finch appeared at one stage to use his hoodie to cover his mouth while talking to his vice-captain in Melbourne, the city that endured 262 days of lockdown during the pandemic.

The federal government ditched mandatory isolation requirements earlier this month for positive cases and ICC regulations now permit those who test positive to the virus to continue playing.

Wade, the defending champions' second case of the tournament after Adam Zampa missed their win against Sri Lanka due to the effects of the virus, was going to play if the match against England had gone ahead.

Image Id: B5D4805F1F004CE4BBAA922FF61C301D Image Caption: Zampa and Wade wait for the rain to clear on Friday night // AFP

And Australia coach Andrew McDonald suggested further cases may be inevitable.

"That's highly possible, really, the way it's gone," McDonald told reporters after the washout.

"The strong point around that was that Matthew Wade was going to play tonight – so each individual is affected differently by the virus.

"Obviously, Adam Zampa wasn't quite right. We (took) caution there to make sure he was ready to go for this game whereas Matthew Wade responded totally differently, less symptoms and he was ready to go tonight.

"He had to be isolated from the group, that was probably the only thing where we had to communicate separately from him, which is a little bit unique.

"But yeah, it's a real possibility for all teams."

The sight of a masked Tahlia McGrath celebrating with the Australian women's side after helping them claim the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham earlier this year underscored how a more relaxed approach to COVID-19 could work.

Image Id: 74581A85B5044A32A5B4328BED5A8483 Image Caption: Tahlia McGrath (middle) celebrates Commonwealth Games gold with teammates // Getty

It is a far cry from the attitude taken by authorities during Australia’s tour of the Caribbean last year when an ODI against West Indies in Barbados was abandoned minutes before the start of the game due to a support staff member testing positive.

Players spent the ensuing 48 hours isolation in their hotel rooms before the case was deemed a false alarm and the match was able to be rescheduled.

The risk of the virus wreaking havoc on sporting teams who typically spend a large amount of time together in close proximity on planes, buses, changing rooms or hotel rooms remains high.

COVID-19 decimated the rosters of several KFC BBL teams last summer when cases surged in Australia after health restrictions were eased.

Many players reported strong symptoms and were not at their best when they returned.

"Some guys are finding it really tough to get going," Zampa said in January amid a flux of cases that derailed the season of his BBL team, the Melbourne Stars. "It does make it really difficult to try and get the body going and get the mind switched back onto cricket."

It is the kind of situation Australia will be desperate to avoid with the business end of the World Cup on the horizon.

While Wade has reported only minor symptoms, Australia are playing with fire given their initially-chosen back-up wicketkeeper, Josh Inglis, injured his hand last week and was instead replaced by non-gloveman, allrounder Cameron Green.

Under ICC playing conditions for the tournament, Australia could temporarily replace Wade in their squad with a specialist keeper but the 34-year-old would not be able to play in matches again until he returns a negative PCR test.

"It was probably inevitable that it would happen at some stage," Finch said of their positive cases. "The last couple of years we've been really fortunate that we've looked after ourselves and we haven’t had many Covid cases."

Men's T20 World Cup 2022

Australia squad: Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Aaron Finch (c), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Australia's fixtures

Oct 22: Lost to New Zealand by 89 runs

Oct 25: Beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets

Oct 28: Match abandoned vs. England

Oct 31: v Ireland, Gabba, 7pm AEDT

Nov 4: v Afghanistan, Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

Click here for the full 2022 T20 World Cup fixture