Victoria and New South Wales Sheffield Shield match postponed as Will Sutherland tests COVID-19 positive
Will Sutherland (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Things have slightly got back to normal since the cricketing action has returned post-COVID-19. While a few mega-events like the 20-20 World Cup and Indian T20 League have been pulled off during this time, the threat of COVID-19 has not completely gone.
Will Sutherland is the latest player from Australia to have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Sheffield match between Victoria and New South Wales set to have been played on Friday (November 19). The teams were all set to battle it out, till Sutherland’s news broke just one hour before the toss.
Cricket Australia (CA) immediately released a statement about a COVID-19 positive case in the Victoria camp and abandoned the match. All the players of the side are undergoing self-isolation. CA are investigating the matter and will provide further updates.
“The Marsh Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Victoria at the Sydney Cricket Ground, scheduled to begin today, has been postponed due to a possible COVID-19 case in the Victorian side,” Cricket Australia said in a statement 30 minutes prior to the toss.
“In the course of routine COVID-19 testing, Will Sutherland has returned a test result which requires further analysis. The Victorian team is currently self-isolating while this analysis and investigation take place. Cricket Australia will provide further updates in due course,” the statement added.
This is the third case of COVID-19 in cricket in the past two days after Sri Lanka fielding coach Shane McDermott and Mohammad Amir tested COVID-19 positive ahead of the Sri Lanka vs West Indies Test series and Abu T10 league respectively. There is no official announcement from the Lankan and Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to postpone the series as of yet.
Meanwhile, CA has canceled the Victoria and New South Wales match until further notice.
