Last Updated on 4 years ago by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: COVID-19 in BBL: 12 Brisbane Heat players test positive | 12 Brisbane Heat players test positive to COVID

In another curveball in a tournament ravaged by COVID-19, 10 Brisbane Heat players have reportedly tested positive to the virus.

The Heat’s match against Sydney Sixers, scheduled for January 5 and originally meant to be played on January 4, has officially been postponed. Perth Scorchers filled in to help keep the competition going, beating the Sixers by 10 runs at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast on Tuesday evening.

More COVID-19 drama in the BBL

The 12 Brisbane Heat players have joined 12 Melbourne Stars players – the latest being skipper Glenn Maxwell – in testing positive for COVID-19. This leaves both the Heat and Cricket Australia (CA) in a difficult position in terms of keeping the competition going, as the Stars themselves have had to field very depleted teams for their matches against the Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades.

The news comes as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) requested that six players fly home by January 7 to serve an isolation period before England’s T20I series against West Indies later this month.

New South Wales, where the Sydney Ashes Test is currently being played, saw upwards of 35,000 cases on January 5, with one-in-three PCR tests in the community coming back as a positive result.

Brisbane Heat’s next match is scheduled for 6 January against Melbourne Renegades in Geelong, Victoria. It remains to be seen how CA and the BBL will tackle this latest challenge in such a short timeframe as they scramble to keep the tournament going. According to Brisbane Heat’s official Twitter account, they are still confident of putting together a squad of 13 players for the match.

The Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes match, which was scheduled for 5:45pm local time today, will be pushed back to 7:15pm local time.