The Covid-19 norms are taking their toll on the sports fraternity day in, day out. With fixtures getting postponed and players forced to isolate, the new normal has started now to raise questions marks in the ongoing Ashes Test series as Australia spinner Nathan Lyon and pacer Mitchell Starc are playing in the Adelaide Test but captain Pat Cummins missed out. Why the two bowlers were allowed to play when all the three of them were present at the same restaurant?
Accoding to the guidelines
As per the guidelines of Cricket Australia, “Only 3 players can go to a particular venue at a particular time, and the players will have to check with each other as to where they are dining.”
Starc, Lyon and Cummins attended a dinner party that took place at the same restaurant. However, Starc and Lyon were dining outside and only had formal contacts, avoiding contact with contracting cases. Cummins on the other hand, had contact with a Covid-19 positive case and therefore was asked to self-isolate.
According to teammate David Warner, “The rules for us are three players can be at a venue. So we have to check in with each other to see which restaurants everyone’s going to. The rules in Sydney and Melbourne are different. We can’t eat indoors there – obviously, this was a different level [of Covid] compared to there.”
Cummins to self-isolate
Cummins, who led Australia in the first Ashes Test to a win on captaincy debut was asked to self-isolate after he was attending the dinner with New South Wales (NSW) friend Harry Conway and opted to sit inside the restaurant. This was the main concern that ruled Cummins out of the Test while giving Starc and Lyon the luxury to take part in the second Test.
The 28-year-old was Australia’s 47th different captain to lead the Aussies in Test match cricket after Tim Paine withdrew from the Brisbane Test. Steve Smith in the meantime, has taken charge of the team in Adelaide Test, while Cummins is expected to be back for the Boxing Day (December 26) Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
