Australia batter Matt Renshaw has tested positive for COVID on a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) after reporting feeling unwell shortly before play on the opening day of the 3rd Test against South Africa.
Matt Renshaw Tests COVID Positive
The Australian team has included Ashton Agar and Matthew Renshaw in the 14-man squad for the third and final Test match of the series against South Africa after Green and Starc were ruled out.
Australia won the first two tests and seals the series victory in the 3-match Test series of the South Africa tour of Australia.
Australia won the first test by 6 wickets and takes a lead in the series. The second Test which started on December 26 sees many ups and down on both sides, particularly on the Australian side.
But Australia with Cameron Green’s 5 wicket haul and David Warner’s double century beat South Africa by an inning and 182 runs. Apart from these Cameron Green injured his finger while batting in the 2nd Test and was restricted from bowling in SA’s 2nd inning.
Owing to the injury he was ruled out of the third test and the ongoing BBL 2022-23 tournament. While Australian pacer Mitchell Starc too missed the third and final Test after sustaining a finger injury in his bowling arm. Both Green and Starc missed out on the 3rd Test match of the series.
Matt Renshaw stood away from the rest of the team during the anthems, at which point the result of his test hadn’t been made public. Renshaw is playing his first Test since 2018 having been listed to bat at No. 6 in Sydney with Australia opting against five specialist bowlers for the final Test.
Instead, they have fielded just two frontline quicks, Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, alongside two spinners in the recalled Ashton Agar and Nathan Lyon.
“Australian batter Matthew Renshaw reported feeling unwell shortly before play in the third Test match against South Africa in Sydney and was separated from the squad. Renshaw has since returned a positive RAT test. He will continue to take part in the match,” a CA spokesperson said.
On the eve of the Test, Pat Cummins had spoken about how it had been a much more normal summer after two years of various restrictions. “I still don’t know how we haven’t had Covid in our team now I think about it,” Cummins said before Renshaw’s positive test.
“It feels like it’s back to normal life. Even on Christmas, we were able to have more families there than we have in the past. Interstate travel, the Sydney guys are staying at home – life feels really normal.
Everyone’s in great spirits because everyone feels like they’ve got their summers back to normality. It’s great. I think you’ve seen it with crowds as well, they’ve been fantastic this summer,” he added.
Matt Renshaw has so far played 12 Tests and scored 636 runs at an average of 33.47 which includes a century and 3 half-centuries.
During the 2018-19 series against Pakistan in the UAE, Renshaw had been in line for a place in the team before suffering a concussion in the warm-up match. As far as the match is concerned, Australia scored 138 runs for 1 wicket loss before the play stopped due to bad light on Day 1.
