Cummins’ COVID brush won’t force lockdown
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Cricket Australia is resisting the urge to put players in strict bubbles despite a COVID case at a restaurant ruling Pat Cummins out of the Adelaide Test.
Australia’s captain was reduced to watching the second Ashes Test from his hotel room, after being deemed a close contact by South Australia health after a Wednesday night dinner.
Cummins was dining inside with his brother and Adelaide Strikers player Harry Conway when a person at a nearby table who was not required to quarantine discovered he had tested positive to the virus.
Cummins and his party immediately left and notified cricket authorities, but after discussions with health officials on Thursday was ruled out of the Test.
Australia then avoided a potential catastrophe when it was revealed Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon were also dining at the restaurant, but were sitting outside.
As a result they were only considered casual contacts, leaving them free to play as part of a new-look attack alongside Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser.
Mark Steketee and Scott Boland have also been brought into the squad as cover.
Cummins’ brush with the virus has left Steve Smith captaining the team for the first time since the ball-tampering scandal, while Travis Head is his deputy.
“What we don’t want to do is we don’t want to completely lock down the players,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said on Thursday.
“I think we struck a balance, we always know that there’s a level of risk. I think we’ve just been extremely unlucky.
“If you look at the whole balance of managing wellbeing, the alternative would have been to lock everyone down completely for the whole tour.
“We’ve learnt over the last 18 months that can have other consequences in terms of mental health and wellbeing.”
Hockley also insisted the game’s protocols were working, given the fact players are encouraged to dine in small groups may have saved Lyon and Starc.
Adelaide has had a rise in COVID-19 cases over the past week, with the 25 reported on Wednesday the most in a single day in more than 18 months.
Bigger questions linger over the need for future restrictions in the series.
The Ashes roadshow will move to Melbourne and Sydney after Adelaide, where cases are back in their thousands on a daily basis.
But Hockley would not be drawn on what protocols players would be under in the two cities, after freedoms were a significant talking point prior to the tour and England’s agreement to travel.
“We’ve got a variable scale and I wouldn’t want to pre-judge it,” Hockley said.
“We want to take a balance … we’re protecting their wellbeing, but equally we’re making sure people don’t come into contact with positive cases.”
Cummins, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, claimed a five-wicket haul in the series-opening win at the Gabba and his absence came as a massive blow to Australia when considering Josh Hazlewood’s injury.
The 28-year-old will likely be provided gym equipment to train while in his room, with the captain able to return for Boxing Day provided he continues to return negative tests.
“Gutted to miss this Test but really excited to see Neser finally get his chance in the baggy green,” Cummins posted on Twitter.
“He has done the hard yards and is a seriously skilful player.
“Super frustrating but COVID has thrown us all some curve balls over the last couple of years. Will be cheering along!”
