Australia’s new head coach Andrew McDonald has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of his T20 squad’s departure to Sri Lanka.
McDonald returned the positive test last afternoon ahead of the Australia’s T20 squad’s departure, the first series since McDonald was appointed the permanent successor to Justin Langer.
McDonald, who was interim head coach on the team’s successful tour of Pakistan earlier this year, will remain in Melbourne under isolation for seven days.
Assistant coach Michael Di Venuto will coach the squad for the start of the T20 series with McDonald due to link up with the team in Colombo ahead of the second T20.
Players in the ODI and Australia A squads are set to fly in later this week, with the first match of the tour next Tuesday, June 7 and the second played the following evening.
Despite widespread fuel shortages across the island amid a crippling economic crisis, including power cuts, the white-ball matches will all be played as day-night affairs.
Sri Lanka Cricket also confirmed that the white ball games – three T20Is and five ODIs – starting on June 7, will be played under lights.
Besides those games, the teams will also play two Tests and the tour concludes on July 12.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt that the fate of the Asia Cup in August-September will be decided depending on how the five-week Australia tour of Sri Lanka goes.
SLC officials are understood to have spoken to Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Jay Shah in Ahmadabad and it was decided that the continental event can go ahead in Sri Lanka if the Australia tour is held incident-free.
The ACC will be following the series closely.
