The England cricket team have been ravaged by the coronavirus with as many as seven members of the support staff in addition to family members testing positive in Melbourne.
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Things are going from bad to worse in the England cricket team in the ongoing Ashes series. After being bowled out for 68 in Melbourne and losing the Ashes for the third straight time, the coronavirus pandemic has cast a pall on England’s cricket team. After four members of the backroom staff and the family tested positive for the coronavirus, it has now emerged that England coach Chris Silverwood has also been forced to go into isolation after he was deemed a close contact following a positive case.
The backroom staff of the England team has been laid low by the coronavirus. Jon Lewis, the fast bowling coach as well as Jeetan Patel, the spin mentor have tested positive for coronavirus. In addition, strength and conditioning coach Darren Veness has also tested positive. That means only Graham Thorpe has been unaffected and he will lead the England team for the Sydney Test as a coach.
The latest development follows a series of PCR Tests being conducted. England is not the only team impacted by the coronavirus. Match Referee David Boon has also tested positive and will miss the Sydney Test. In the latest side development, the Big Bash League match between Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers was called off at the last moment. The reason being there was a coronavirus case in one of the teams.
The fourth Test will be held in Sydney, which is currently a hotbed for coronavirus cases in Australia. In the last 24 hours, Australia has reported close to 20,000 coronavirus cases. Sydney is reporting a fair majority of them. Australia and England will board a chartered flight to Sydney where the Test will begin on January 5.
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However, if there is an outbreak of the coronavirus in the England camp, then the Ashes series might be postponed or canceled. James Anderson, who is nearing 650 Test wickets and was superb in Melbourne, is hoping that the outbreak does not spread any further.
“We are just hoping it’s not spreading any further. We can make sure everyone is safe and able to travel to Sydney. We’re trying to control the spread as much as possible and use the safety protocols around the hotel. It’s not ideal but it’s been that sort of tour. Something has been happening all the time. Lots of stuff away from the cricket which can cause distractions. So, it’s something we have to deal with,” Anderson stated.
An England and Wales Cricket Board statement stated that Silverwood will remain in isolation for 10 days according to Victoria state rules. Although Silverwood has tested negative, he has been deemed a close contact and was required to self-isolate for seven days. But, he has chosen to stay back in Melbourne because of the situation with his family.
The meek capitulation of the England cricket team in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne has seen them lose the Ashes emphatically. England has lost 12 out of the last 13 Tests in Australia. If one goes back to the last four tours of Australia, England has lost three series 5-0, 5-0, and 4-0. This current tour is also going in that same direction.
In the last two Tests in Sydney, England lost by big margins in 2014 and 2018. England’s batting will have to pull off a miracle if they have to avert a fourth 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia. The final Test will be played in Hobart, the first time the venue will be hosting the Ashes. It will be a Pink Ball Test, a format where Australia has never lost.
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