WI vs AUS to go ahead despite positive test result; second ODI to be played on Saturday

Cricket West Indies have confirmed that the ODI series between Windies and Australia will go ahead despite a positive Covid test leading to the suspension of the series, on Thursday. In a fresh round of testing on Friday, all 152 personnel returned negative results, paving the way for a restart.

Unlike initially feared, there will not be an abrupt end to the three-match ODI series between West Indies and Australia as Cricket West Indies (CWI) have confirmed that the series will resume on Saturday. The two sides were scheduled to play the second ODI on Thursday, but moments before players took to the field (after toss), it was discovered that a non-playing member of the West Indies squad had tested positive for the virus.

Upon the discovery, all players, match officials and TV crew were immediately sent back to the hotel and isolated and tested, in order to check if the virus had spread through the bubble. In what comes as good news, however, no more positive tests have been detected, due to which the series will now restart on Saturday, July 24.  The third and final ODI will now be played on July 26.

“We are happy to be able to announce the restart of the CG Insurance ODI series at Kensington Oval tomorrow,” Ricky Skerritt, the CWI president said on Friday.

“We want to thank our counterparts at CA for their co-operation in this matter as we look to get the games going again.

“Special thanks to our CEO Johnny Grave, Chairman of Cricket Australia, Earl Eddings, his CEO Nick Hockley along with our respective medical and operations teams. I appreciate the crucial role of the BCA and the Government of Barbados for working closely with CWI to ensure everything is in place for resuming the series. 

“It has been a challenging two days and we have worked very swiftly and safely, following all the established medical protocols, to make sure that all necessary precautions are in place to ensure that we can go-ahead to resume play safely, tomorrow. We will continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly.”

The game will merely resume from where it was stopped, meaning the playing XIs won’t change, with Australia batting first. The postponement of the third ODI to July 26 means that the Windies players will have a 12-hour turnaround before the commencement of the T20I series against Pakistan. 

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