West Indies v Australia Pic Credit: WI Board
The second ODI between West Indies and Australia has been suspended due to COVID-19 case. The news broke right before the start of the game and teams have been asked to return to the hotel. The first ODI between two sides was comfortably won by the visitors with Mitchell Starc picking a 5-wicket haul. The stage was set for another exciting encounter at Kensington Oval in Barbados as both the captains came out at the toss.
Australia won the toss and opted to bat first on a similar looking track which was on offer in the 1st ODI. Both the skippers confirmed one change each at the toss. While Riley Meredith replaced Wes Agar and got set to make his ODI debut, Shai Hope returned for the home side in place of Shimron Hetmyer. Everything was going smoothly until a news broke out which left everyone in confusion.
News broke out just minutes before the start of match
It was earlier reported that there was some delay to the start of the match due to some operational issues. The fans across the globe were trying to find out the sequence of events in Barbados but there was no official confirmation on the same. This is when the shocking details were revealed which led to a lot of tension.
Notably, there was a positive case of COVID-19 inside the bubble and everyone got to know about the same just a few minutes before the first ball was scheduled to be bowled. As a result, the match had to be suspended considering the safety protocols in place. Cricket Australia confirmed the sequence of events that took place in Barbados through an official statement.
COVID-19 case reportedly from West Indies camp
"Players, support and match officials were given the news shortly after the toss had been completed, with both teams immediately making their way back into their respective dressing rooms. The game was immediately suspended and it is understood all personnel inside the bubble will immediately be placed into isolation," said CA in their statement.
In the statement, Cricket Australia also hinted that the reported case of coronavirus is possibly from West Indies camp. They stated, "The positive case is not believed to be an Australian." With everyone in isolation right now, the third ODI which was scheduled to take place on Saturday is also likely to be postponed or suspended.