The final two ODIs of Australia’s tour of West Indies will be played on Saturday and Monday (West Indies time) after another round of Covid tests for the members of the bubble returned no new positive case. Hosts Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed the development following a discussion with their counterparts at Cricket Australia.
The fate of the series hung in the balance after a member of support staff was understood to have returned a positive result on the latest Covid test forcing the teams to abandon the 2nd ODI moments after Australia had won the toss. The players were subsequently asked to remain in isolation while another round of tests to check virus spread, if any, was ordered. All of the other 152 people tested, according to CWI, returned negative results.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty of the covid situation emanating in the West Indies had thrown even Australia’s tour of Bangladesh up in the air. The latest test results and a buffer time for their departure to Bangladesh – they were scheduled to fly out of Barbados on Wednesday – should keep that series going. West Indies meanwhile have a shorter turnaround with the first T20I against Pakistan scheduled for Tuesday morning, less than 12 hours after when the ODI is expected to get over.
CWI president Ricky Skerrit, who has been in constant dialogue, may have to get in touch with the Pakistan Cricket Board as well. “We want to thank our counterparts at CA for their cooperation in this matter as we look to get the games going again,” Skerrit said. “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.
“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.”