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The Coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on cricket in last 12 months. England have managed to contain the spread of virus and have started to open up the country. However, there have been few cases in recent times - especially in cricket - which has come across as a major scare. ECB had to announce an entirely different squad for the white-ball series against Pakistan after a few COVID-19 positive cases were found in the squad that featured against Sri Lanka. The deadly virus has now affected the ongoing County Championship as well.
Middlesex skipper Peter Handscomb was ruled out of the County game against Leicestershire, which raised a few eyebrows. Tim Murtagh took over the captaincy reigns from the Aussie as Middlesex finished Day 1 in quite a comfortable position at 280/3 on the back of a fantastic century by Sam Robson. While few feared if it was a tactical decision to drop Handscomb, the reason behind his exclusion was revealed on Monday.
Unfortunate for Peter Handscomb
Handscomb reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 as per the results of the tests which came on Sunday. As a result, the 30-year-old was forced into isolation and had to miss the game against Leicestershire. It comes as a huge blow for the wicketkeeper batsman who is eyeing to make a return to national side with impressive performances in the County.
The Aussie played his last Test for the Kangaroos against India in January 2019. Handscomb has scored 934 runs in 16 Tests at an average of 38.9. Having not been in the best of form for Middlesex as well, the 30-year-old will hope to bounce back as he tries to come back in the radar of selectors.