BBL 2021-22: Four Sydney Thunder players test COVID-19 positive ahead of New Year’s Eve clash

Four players from the Sydney Thunder have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of their New Year’s Eve BBL clash with Adelaide Strikers on Friday, December 31. As per reports, Cricket Australia is looking into the matter and is seeking for more information to ascertain whether the match can go ahead or not as per the regulations and guidelines set by the South Australian government.

The rest of the Thunder players are currently awaiting results of the RT-PCR tests, which are expected to come by the end of Friday. But even if the results come negative, doubts on the match taking place at the Adelaide Oval remain, Fox Cricket reported. It goes without saying that the Chris Green-led Thunder will be depleted to some extent if the game on Friday eventually takes place.

Thursday’s BBL match also postponed

The BBL has already been marred by COVID-19 after Thursday’s match between Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers had to be postponed. A member of the Stars’ support staff contracted the ungodly virus prior to the game at the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne.

“While regrettable, the decision to postpone tonight’s match was the only option available given the exposures within the Stars cohort,” Alistair Dobson, the general manager of the Big Bash Leagues, said.

“The League has a number of biosecurity protocols in place to keep our participants safe and the competition moving forward. These protocols are regularly reviewed in response to the risks in each state. Safety remains our number one priority, and we will work with the Stars to get their side back on the field as soon as possible,” he stated.

It’s also for the first time that the BBL has been jolted with COVID-19 cases in the pandemic. Earlier, Thunder’s Sam Whiteman also missed the match after being deemed as a close contact.

“The staff member is being managed by Melbourne Stars medical staff in consultation with Cricket Australia and we look forward to them being able to return to the group in due course. We have key home matches scheduled on January 2 and 3 in Melbourne so we hope to have more clarity through testing over the next 24-48 hours,” Stars general manager Blair Crouch said.

The Stars and the Scorchers are again set to lock horns on Sunday, January 2 at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.