England head coach tests positive for Covid as tour limps on

Adam Hollioake is also ‘gutted’ not to be able to help England in their hour of need in Sydney after being pinged, while positive Glenn McGrath also misses the start of the ‘Pink Test’

England head coach Chris Silverwood has tested positive for Covid while isolating with his family in Melbourne.

Silverwood remained behind initially as a close contact to one of the other four members in his family.

But now three have tested positive for the virus which means he will not out of isolation until January 8th and will link up with the squad again when they get to Hobart.

It is yet further disruption to a tour that is staggering on in the face of the virus which again came close to the players when at least one local net bowler tested positive for covid but with the result discovered only after he had been bowling at England batsmen.

He was yanked out of the training session immediately and practice was able to continue unaffected at the Sydney Cricket Ground

While the bowler himself is unlikely to have spread the virus as he only worked with the England players in an outdoor setting, it is certainly likely to test Boris Johnson ’s initial theory in 2020 that a cricket ball was a vector of disease.

Once all net bowlers were pulled from the practice session three days out at the SCG, it continued without fuss as the England players supported each other’s training, with even Joe Root using the side arm to provide practice.

Questions have been raised over Cricket Australia’s handling of covid protocols in providing the England team with people who had yet to be cleared with negative PCR results.

And somewhat ironically the person who they would have liked to see out on the ground working with them, former skipper Adam Hollioake, was pinged out of action by a close contact.

In yet another example of the farce that this tour has become, Hollioake essentially drove seven hours from the Gold Coast in order to isolate in a room in the England team hotel and will be able to head home in seven days.

Hollioake is understandably ‘gutted’ to be unable to do his bit for a team that are in desperate need of a pick me up, but had no choice but to follow the guidelines.

The players have got on with things as best they can and there is no suggestion that the match will be under threat, with a Big Bash game set to be played despite 18 positive tests in the Melbourne Stars camp.

“An extra pair of hands would always be helpful,” said batsman Zak Crawley of Hollioake’s omission. “We’ve had a lot of support staff missing, but the lads have all worked together today, we’ve tried to help out, we’ve all pulled together and have pulled through I think.

“We’re absolutely comfortable with the game going ahead. We’ve spoken to the doctors, they’ve given us the facts and are more than happy to carry on.

“We fully trust that and I one hundred percent want to play this test, I’m definitely comfortable.

“Obviously every positive case is not a good thing. But we are only dealing with the facts at the moment and getting tested every day.

“The doctors say we are in a good place to carry on and we have to back that. I’m concentrating on what I have to do and so are all the lads. We are focused on the game.”

The fourth Test is also known as the ‘Pink Test’ in honour of the Jane McGrath Foundation who use it to raise money for Macmillan cancer nurses.

Sadly founder Glenn McGrath, who started the fundraising event, has been struck down with covid himself and will be unable to launch the game this time, and instead hopes to be back and recovered in time for day three.