Howzat! Positive test but not out

COVID positive cricketers will be allowed to play during the Twenty20 World Cup.

Fans back in Australia were stunned when women’s star Tahlia McGrath was allowed to play in the Commonwealth Games gold medal match in Birmingham earlier this year despite testing positive.

But now it’s Australia’s turn to usher in a new normal and deal with sick players on a case-by-case basis.

It’s a far cry from last summer, when Australian captain Pat Cummins was ruled out of a Test match because he’d briefly shaken hands with a Covid-positive acquaintance at an Adelaide restaurant.

The International Cricket Council has made it a requirement that every team at the World Cup travels with a doctor, who will manage any Covid-related issues.

There will be no mandatory testing of players, and at the discretion of doctors, stars would be allowed to play even if they do return a positive test.

However, in the event of cricketers becoming seriously sick, the ICC will permit replacement players to come into squads – before the cricketer returns to the squad again once they test negative.

The change in rules by the ICC is in line with the Australian government scrapping mandatory isolation periods.

It will set a precedent for all Australian sports to live with Covid, after a year of NRL and AFL where players were regularly tested and ruled out for a week following positive tests.

“It’s a totally different dynamic,” said Cummins.

“The team went out for dinner last night and we actually were chatting about it, (saying) ‘this is the first time we’ve done this for about three years’. It’s great fun. It’s one of the main things we all love about playing for your country – you get to go and see new places and experience different things.”