Latest
Latest
1h agoIPL among T20 leagues accused of failing to pay players' wages
Latest
2h agoWhat Nottingham Forest have to do to avoid another points deduction next year
Latest
2h agoWSL player-coach relationships are hard to police - but that's no excuse

Ashes news: Chris Silverwood set to miss fourth Test after family member tests positive for Covid-19

The England coach, who finds himself under pressure after losing the Ashes in record time, will not be allowed to work with players until after the fourth Test of the series

Chris Silverwood will miss next week’s fourth Ashes Test in Sydney after a member of his family became the seventh positive Covid case in the camp.

The head coach has been under intense pressure since England crumbled in a little over two days in Melbourne earlier this week in a defeat that gave Australia an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.

His tour has now gone from bad to worse after one of his family members went down with Covid in the latest round of testing. As a close contact, Silverwood will now have to isolate for at least seven days but is choosing to spend the full 10 mandated for positive cases in Victoria to support his family.

There were already six cases in the 60-strong touring party – bowling coach Jon Lewis, spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel, strength and conditioning coach Darren Veness and three other family members.

So far no players have been affected but whether or not the squad travel to Sydney on Friday as planned rests on a final round of tests taken on Thursday morning Australian time. Those results are expected to come back by the end of the day.

Pending the final round of tests, it is expected that Graham Thorpe, Silverwood’s assistant, will take charge of the team in Sydney.

Silverwood should return for the fifth and final Test in Hobart scheduled to start on 14 January.

“We found out late last night,” James Anderson said of the Silverwood news. “It’s frustrating, we’ve been tested again this morning – the whole team – and just hoping it’s not spreading any further and we can make sure everyone is safe and able to travel to Sydney.

More from Cricket

“It’s frustrating for him but hopefully we’re trying to control the spread as much as possible, use the safety protocols around the hotel. It’s not ideal but it’s been that sort of tour.

Anderson also said he hoped younger players could lean on his experience to deal with all the uncertainty.

“We’ve got two Tests and we have to restore some pride and try and compete – that’s our main focus as players,” Anderson added. “We have to block out what’s happening off the field and focus on the fourth and fifth Tests.

“It can be difficult at times, especially for guys experiencing the Ashes for the first time and not that experienced with Test cricket and touring. That’s where the more senior players come in, we have to try and rally round, make sure everyone is in a good place and a good headspace to compete.

“It’s been really gutting the first three games, we’ve not been good enough and we’re determined to try and turn things around with some good performances to finish this tour.”

Anderson also admitted England’s squad have been in a self-imposed bubble since the first positive cases in the camp emerged on the morning of the third Test in Melbourne and he expects a similar bubble in Sydney.

“I’m not entirely sure [what the regulations are for Sydney], we get that info before we get on the flight so we know what we’re doing. We’ve pretty much been in the hotel and ground, staying safe and controlling the spread as much as possible.”

And the 39-year-old admits this tour has been one of the toughest of his 19-year career. “Yeah, it’s not been my favourite for sure,” he said. “There’s been difficulties but the last couple of years have been difficult with Covid. We’re still fortunate we’re getting to play cricket, the last couple of years have not been ideal but we’ve kept playing throughout.

“It does test you, we’ve been really tested on and off the field this trip, we’ve not been able to put in performances, we’ve not coped with that pressure particularly well. From that point of view it’s not been fun.”

Sign up here for i‘s ‘Inside the Ashes’ newsletter to get daily news, interviews and analysis from Down Under

Most Read By Subscribers