Has Tim Paine been COVID-19 infected? Australia captain skips Sheffield Shield 2021 match

Australian Test captain Tim Paine missed out on the recently-concluded Sheffield Shield 2021 game due to illness. The 36-year old had travelled to Melbourne where he was set to captain Tasmania against Victoria in Match 15 of the competition. Notably, the Sheffield Shield 2021 game between Tasmania and Victoria was the first game of the tournament at the iconic MCG since 2019.

ALSO READ | PSL postponement: Pakistan media shockingly claims PCB chose hotel that had weddings going on

Tim Paine missed out on Sheffield Shield game after waking up ill

However, on the morning of the game, Paine woke up feeling sick in his hotel room and the symptoms he reported demanded that the Australian captain take a COVID-19 test and return a negative result before he can re-join the team. But the test couldn't be taken in time which forced Paine to miss out on the game and in his absence, it was Jackson Bird who took charge of Tasmania as captain of the side. The big question that remains now is whether or not Tim Paine has been infected with the ungodly virus.

ALSO READ | CSK IPL schedule: MS Dhoni and co. to kick off IPL 2021 season at the Wankhede on April 10

Meanwhile, the game between Tasmania and Victoria ended in a draw. Having won the toss, Tasmania who were invited to bat first bundled out for 188. In response, Victoria took a slender lead of 11 runs as they were dismissed for 199. The Tigers put in a better batting performance in the second innings and scored 263 runs, thus setting a target of 253 for Victoria. The Peter Handscomb-led side posted 122/1 before the game ended in a draw. Tasmania wicketkeeper Jack Doran, who replaced Paine for the game, was named 'Player of the Match' for scores of 52 and 98.

ALSO READ | IPL 2021: Tournament's chairman confirms 'No Fans At All' to be seen in stadiums this year

Tim Paine suffering from a COVID-19 scare isn't the first instance of the ungodly virus affecting the sport. Last week, PSL 2021 that commenced on February 20, was postponed indefinitely with immediate effect after three more players had tested positive for COVID-19, thus bringing the tally of positive cases in the PSL's bio-bubble to seven, out of which six were players. The first case was reported by the PCB on March 1 when Australian leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed tested positive for the virus before Match 12 of the season. At the time of PSL postponement, only 14 games were completed in the PSL 2021.

Moreover, New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner was ruled out from New Zealand’s playing XI for the third match of the recently-concluded five-match T20I series against Australia. A few hours before the toss, the Black Caps announced on Twitter that Santner woke up with a head fever and had to be kept in self-isolation as a precautionary measure as he awaited his COVID-19 test result. In Mitchell Santner's absence, Australia thrashed New Zealand by 64 runs.

ALSO READ | Harsha Bhogle lauds the idea of conducting IPL 2021 behind closed doors

SOURCE: CRICKET.COM.AU