T20 World Cup: COVID-positive cricketers to be allowed to play

The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 got underway today (October 16) in Australia and during the tournament, if a player tests positive for COVID-19, he will be allowed to play the matches, according to a report.

A report on Cricket Australia’s (CA) website said that the Australian Federal Government’s mandatory isolation requirements for those who contract COVID-19 ended earlier this week.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) says there will no mandatory testing during the tournament and no isolation period if a player gets COVID-19, instead putting the onus on team doctors “to assess whether it is appropriate” for players to compete if they get COVID-19, it added.

Also read: T20 World Cup: Format, points system, reserve days, super over, COVID rules

All 16 teams can make changes to their squads should a player return a positive PCR test, with the infected player then allowed to return to the squad upon returning a negative test.

What do ICC ‘playing conditions’ say about COVID interruptions?

“If a match is unable to be played as scheduled or is abandoned on the day of the match because of Covid-19, or if a team is unable to field 11 participating players, the Event Technical Committee will convene with the objective of finding a way for a new match (including a new nomination of teams and toss) to be played.

“Such a match may be played at the same venue, or be moved to another venue, to be played on the same date at the discretion of the Event Technical Committee. The rescheduled match shall be played, if possible, subject to it being scheduled within reason and without unreasonably impacting on the participating teams or on the staging of other matches,” the tournament’s playing conditions stated.

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“The Biosafety Advisory Group (BSAG) will be the final arbiter as to the COVID status of any player and his consequential availability to participate in a match,” it added.

What was the rule in the last T20 World Cup?

During the T20 World Cup 2021 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), teams were staying in bio-bubbles, and players who tested COVID-positive had to isolate themselves for 10 days.

Also read: T20 World Cup: Schedule, squads, groups, live TV, streaming, audio

In August, during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, Australian woman cricketer Tahila McGrath was allowed to play the gold medal T20 match against India despite testing COVID-positive. She was allowed to play as she was only suffering from minor symptoms.