The Australian batter Matt Renshaw reported feeling sick shortly before the start of the first day of the New Year’s Test in Sydney, and a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) revealed a positive result. The 26-year-old, who is taking part in his first Test match for Australia in nearly five years, will continue to play, but Australia has added Peter Handscomb as a late replacement if a Covid substitute be needed later in the game.
In preparation for his comeback, Renshaw batted at the SCG 45 minutes before the Toss, but he reported feeling under the weather as the rest of the Australian team went through their warm-ups. Even during the anthems, when the results of his test weren’t yet known, he stood apart from the rest of the team.
Renshaw was seen sitting on a plastic chair near the boundary lines, a short distance from the replacement players, as Australia started to bat. If a player is diagnosed with COVID, teams are permitted a like-for-like replacement as long as the symptoms manifest during the game.
