Sutherland likely as Aussie mull all-round options

Australia are cautiously optimistic they have contained the spread of COVID-19 within their World Cup squad, with Annabel Sutherland looming as the likely replacement for Ashleigh Gardner in Saturday's match against England.

Australia's remaining players and staff all produced negative COVID-19 tests on Friday ahead of their sole training session at Hamilton's Seddon Park, and they will continue to undergo regular surveillance testing.

Powerful allrounder Gardner will miss at least Australia's first two matches against England and Pakistan, and likely their third against New Zealand, after being diagnosed with COVID-19 during regular testing and now required to isolate for 10 days.

Sutherland and fellow pace-bowling allrounder Nicola Carey played in Australia's two most recent ODIs during the Ashes, but only came into the XI when Beth Mooney and Darcie Brown were rested, and thus seemed most likely to make way at Seddon Park on Saturday.

Spin-bowling allrounder Grace Harris is the closest like-for-like replacement for Gardner, but off-spin is not seen as a preferred option against England's entirely right-handed batting line-up, and Gardner bowled just one over in the three Ashes ODIs.

Meanwhile Sutherland made a compelling case with an aggressive half-century in the first warm-up against West Indies, while she took a career-best 4-31 in the third Ashes ODI in Melbourne.

"Obviously we're feeling for Ash, it's unfortunate that she's tested positive," Australia captain Meg Lanning told reporters on Friday.

"She's going well as far as I've heard, and we've tried to stay in touch with her as best we could.

"In terms of the line-up, we're still working through what exactly that looks like.

"Annabel Sutherland has been bowling and batting extremely well, so she's an option there. Nic Carey as well, has played some really good innings for Australia and bowled some good overs as well, so we feel like we've got options."

An anxious few days remain for Australia before they can safely say they are in the clear from further COVID-19 cases, but Lanning said they were cautiously optimistic, with the group taking extra precautions above and beyond the ICC's regulations.

The source of Gardner's infection remains a mystery, but Lanning confirmed there had been no breach of ICC restrictions. The allrounder has remained in Christchurch to isolate, where she is being supported by national selector Shawn Flegler, and the pair is expected to travel to Wellington to re-join the Australian squad following Gardner's release on March 12.

"I suppose there were a few nerves around in terms of whether it had spread within the group," Lanning said.

"In a way, it is sort of inevitable, given the amount of cases that are in New Zealand, so we expected that it could happen – but the fact that we've been able to isolate it just to Ash at the moment is a really good sign.

"It's just a day-by-day sort of thing (and) we have been extra careful the past few days, just to make sure that we could isolate it as much as possible.

"But it's finding that balance in terms of trying to be able to escape from cricket and enjoy yourself off the field but still being really careful."

All teams at the World Cup are living under restrictions that limit their contact with those outside their team bubble, but they are allowed to dine outdoors and purchase takeaway food and drinks.

Asked whether more stringent rules should be in place to protect the integrity of the tournament, with New Zealand approaching the peak of their Omicron wave and recording 22,527 cases on Friday, England quick Anya Shrubsole's response was emphatic.

"Having been involved in some really strict COVID bubbles, my answer would be no," Shrubsole said.

"Mentally they're really, really challenging and I think to ask players to do that over and over and over again just isn't sustainable.

"It's the reality, it's been two years now and COVID isn't going to go away and we have to find a way globally with governing bodies to make it work with a bit of a backdrop of COVID.

"I'm absolutely gutted for Ash that it's happened to her, but I do think it's inevitable and I don't think the answer is really strict biosecurity bubbles, because they're just not realistic over a long period of time.

"I guess it just puts everyone on high alert and you know that it's always a possibility. Fingers crossed, there isn't too much of it around and we can have a really good tournament."

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington. Travelling reserves: Heather Graham, Georgia Redmayne

Australia's World Cup 2022 fixtures

Mar 5: v England, Seddon Park, Hamilton, 12pm AEDT

Mar 8: v Pakistan, Bay Oval, Tauranga, 12pm AEDT

Mar 13: v New Zealand, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8am AEDT

Mar 15: v West Indies, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8am AEDT

Mar 19: v India, Eden Park, Auckland, 12pm AEDT

Mar 22: v South Africa, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8am AEDT

Mar 25: v Bangladesh, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8am AEDT

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL WORLD CUP SCHEDULE

Semi-finals

Mar 30: Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8am AEDT

Mar 31: Hagley Park Christchurch, 12pm AEDT

Final

Apr 3: Hagley Park Christchurch, 11am AEDT

All matches to be broadcast in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports