Threats to Gades’ Geelong match

RISING Covid cases and a bleak weather forecast are threatening the Melbourne Renegades’ return to GMHBA Stadium against Brisbane

Heat on Thursday night.

Multiple positive cases have been reported in the Heat camp, resulting in their game against the Sydney Sixers on Tuesday night being postponed to Wednesday and leaving the Geelong fixture in doubt.

Cricket Australia is planning for the contest, the first game at Kardinia Park in two years, to be played.

But if Covid doesn’t derail the game, a forecast of up to 25mm of rain could.

Renegades coach David Saker conceded it was possible the Geelong match would not go ahead, given the Heat outbreak.

“If the game is called off (against the Sixers) … the chance of Thursday going ahead becomes quite slim as well because those same players won’t be available for Thursday night.”

If the Geelong game is played, it would be the secondconsecutive Covid-ravaged opponent the Renegades have faced as they try to make a run at BBL finals.

Almost all the Melbourne Stars’ side was sidelined because of positive results on Monday in its five-wicket defeat by the Renegades.

Saker said depleted opposition could help his side surge into finals contention.

“You can look at it that we’re lucky that way, but at the start of the season we were probably punished quite a lot with (Nic) Maddinson,

(Aaron) Finch and (Marcus) Harris not being available for us,” he said.

“With Melbourne Stars, it’s not what you want to see, that’s for sure.

“I don’t know what’s going to go ahead from this point on because there’s going to be more and more cases.

“Cricket Australia is obviously working through it and will hopefully come up with a plan to make sure everything’s quite equal.

“It’s out of my hands and out of the Renegades’ hands.

“We just play whoever is put in front of us and we’re going to try and be as competitive as we can.”