Ace Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has tested positive for the deadly coronavirus. The Melbourne Stars captain underwent a rapid antigen test after their BBL game against Melbourne Renegades on Monday night and returned the positive result. He is now in isolation, awaiting the result of a PCR test that he’s also undergone.
Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell is the latest cricketer to contract COVID-19 in the Stars’ camp, where already 12 cricketers and eight support staff have contracted the virus. The Stars’ outbreak forced them to turn to club cricketers and overlooked state-contracted players to field a team for games against Perth Scorchers (on Sunday) and the Renegades on consecutive days.
Hilton Cartwright, one of only a few leading Stars players who has managed to avoid contracting COVID, admitted the outbreak has been an immense mental challenge.
“I’ve never felt more vulnerable to a virus in my entire life and I never realised how much it was going to affect my mental state,” Cartwright said.
“I’ve had form slumps and this ranks right up there with how I actually feel about going about my business day-to-day. Myself and my wife have basically been locked up in our room, not sure if we’re capable of catching the lift in case someone in there might have caught (COVID-19). Constantly, it’s on your mind and then you’ve got to walk out there and perform one of the biggest pressure stages in the world,” he added.
In addition to the two Melbourne teams, three other BBL clubs have reported cases of COVID-19 with Brisbane Heat yesterday forced to pull out of their match against the Sydney Sixers on the Gold Coast.
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