Sheffield Shield match postponed after Victorian bowler’s Covid-19 test

On Friday morning, reports emerged of a positive Covid-19 test within the Victoria camp ahead of the first-class match in Sydney, which was scheduled to start at 10.30am AEDT.

Cricket Australia (CA) later confirmed the match would not go ahead as planned, with the Victoria side self-isolating.

It’s the first instance of a Sheffield Shield match being postponed in response to a player’s Covid-19 test.

“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,” the CA statement read.

“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 takes place.”

Whether the match will commence on Saturday or be postponed to later in the season depends on the results of further testing within the Victorian camp.

A Cricket NSW spokesperson told news.com.au the players did not attend the SCG on Friday morning, and the Blues squad has been told to stay home as the situation develops.

According to Fox Cricket, Sutherland attended a house party over the weekend where more than a dozen people have since tested positive to Covid-19. The report claims the 22-year-old felt unwell throughout the week despite testing negative.

New South Wales and Victoria have already played each other twice in the Sheffield Shield this summer, with travel restrictions making it difficult for them to compete against the other states.

Victoria won both of the previous first-class games at Sydney’s Drummoyne Oval and the MCG.

Former Australian pace bowler Chris Tremain was set to make his long-awaited return to first-class cricket on Friday, while veteran wicketkeeper Peter Nevill was supposed to be celebrating his 100th match Shield appearance for New South Wales.

Victorian opener Marcus Harris, who earlier this week was named in Australia’s Test squad for the first two Ashes Tests, was not involved in the match.

Earlier this summer, a Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and Tasmania was postponed following a number of Covid-19 infections in Brisbane.

During Australia’s white-ball tour of the West Indies, an ODI in Barbados was postponed following a positive Covid-19 test in the home team’s camp.

Sutherland has represented Victoria in 16 Sheffield Shield games since making his first-class debt in 2019, taking 44 wickets at an average of 25.90.

NSW Blues squad: Kurtis Patterson (c), Harry Conway, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Arjun Nair, Peter Nevill, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, Chris Tremain

Victoria squad: Peter Handscomb (c), Brody Couch, Xavier Crone, Travis Dean, Sam Harper, Jonathan Merlo, Wil Parker, James Pattinson, Mitch Perry, James Seymour, Matt Short, Will Sutherland

Originally published as Sheffield Shield match postponed after Victorian bowler’s Covid-19 test