Cricket News: Renshaw to play with COVID out of separate changeroom, Handscomb flown in on standby

Matt Renshaw will play on in Sydney while battling COVID-19, fighting through his Test return from a separate changeroom after testing positive to the virus.

Renshaw on Wednesday became the first positive case in Australia’s Test group this summer, when he called for hayfever medication shortly after the toss against South Africa.

He was then told to separate from teammates during the anthems as per agreed protocols, before taking a COVID-19 test and being told to pack his bags and move elsewhere in the ground after returning a positive.

ICC regulations state Renshaw can continue to play in the match as long he feels well enough, with the option for a like-for-like replacement if he falls too ill.

As of Wednesday night, officials were confident Renshaw would be able to hold his spot in the team, as he takes part in his first Test since 2018.

“He’s fine,” teammate Marnus Labuschagne said.

“He’s playing on. And if he gets to the point where he can’t play then the COVID sub comes in.

“But at this stage he is certainly nowhere near that and he is fine.”

Regardless, Labuschagne said he was not seriously concerned about the possibility of COVID being spread through the squad.

“It’s just play on,” he said. “I walked in the (changerooms), he was walking out.

“You just don’t want to have a situation where you have five or six guys getting sick.”

If Renshaw does become too ill, Peter Handscomb looms as the most likely option to replace him. Marcus Harris is another option.

Matt Renshaw. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Handscomb was not initially in Australia’s 14-man squad for the Test, but was listed as an emergency substitute fielder on Wednesday to allow other players to leave for the BBL.

Both are considered some chance to make the four-Test tour to India next month.

Renshaw will be desperate to continue playing, given he has not appeared in a Test since 2018 in South Africa.

Ashton Agar. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

He suffered a concussion in a warm-up game later that year in the UAE, and has not featured in an Australia team again until this Test when he was recalled in place of the injured Cameron Green.

An opportunity to play would also create a golden chance for Handscomb, who was dropped from the Test team in January 2019.

The Victorian has starred in the Sheffield Shield this season, leading the run-scoring charts with 571 at an average of 81.57 including a top score of 281.

SCG’s honours Warne with Test pitch

Shane Warne will be given one last tribute at the SCG this week, with officials opting to use the pitch on which the spin king played his last Test for Australia’s series-closer against South Africa.

Warne’s legacy has been a regular feature of the summer, following his shock death of a heart attack aged 52 in March.

Last week’s MCG Test included applause for the legspinner on his home turf, while Cricket Australia announced the Test player of the year award would be renamed in his honour.

At Adelaide Oval last month, Nathan Lyon overtook the spinning legend to become the leading Test wicket-taker at the venue, while commemorations for Warne were held in Perth earlier, in the first Test in Australia without him in the commentary box.

CLICK HERE for a seven-day free trial to watch cricket on KAYO

In Sydney, there will be a new twist on the tribute when Australia face South Africa from Wednesday.

Pat Cummins of Australia speaks to the media during an Australian Test squad training session at the Sydney Cricket Ground. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Officials have rolled out pitch No.3 for the match for the first time since Warne’s own farewell in January, 2007 – the strip which sits two to the left of the usual Test pitch No.5 and towards the Bill O’Reilly Stand.

“When we were doing our investigation, we worked out Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer had their final Test on pitch No.3,” SCG curator Adam Lewis said.

“So in our planning we had that in the back of our mind.

“We tried bringing grass in on pitch No.5 as best we could, but with the amount of play we’ve had through the whole season, it just couldn’t get there in time.

“Knowing that Shane Warne and the guys played their last Test on No.3, it just felt right so we put our energy into it.

“Shane was really good not just for players, he was always good for curators. He always stood up for us and knew we wore our heart on our sleeves.”

Ground staff are also hopeful the pitch will provide the turn Warne always hoped for and enjoyed at the SCG, where he also made his Test debut in 1992.

(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

The pitch was at that point renowned as the best spinning wicket in Australia, but wet weather and batter-friendly wickets have forced draws in five of the past eight Tests at the ground.

“We’re hoping for a traditional SCG pitch,” Lewis said.

“It’s not quite what we’ve seen in the past few years. A few of the players have told me it looks like a wicket from about 10 years ago, which gave me a bit of confidence. 

“It’s thin on grass, a bit patchy and probably not the best looking pitch that we’ve seen, but we’re looking forward to it and we’ve done the best we can.”

Patel powers India past Sri Lanka

Axar Patel has held his nerve in the final over to help India beat Sri Lanka by two runs in the first of three T20 internationals.

Patel restricted Sri Lanka, who needed 13 runs off the final over, to 10 with the tourists dismissed off the final ball for 160.

This was after Patel had scored 31 not out off 20 balls to help India reach 5-162 in their 20 overs.

Put in to bat on Tuesday, India struggled to get a good start. Opener Shubman Gill (7), vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav (7) and Sanju Samson (5) were dismissed cheaply.

India were to 3-46 in 6.5 overs before skipper Hardik Pandya steadied the ship with 29 off 27 balls. He put on 31 runs for the fifth wicket with Ishan Kishan (37).

The duo were dismissed by the 15th over with India placed at 94-5.

Deepak Hooda then struck 41 not out off 23 balls, including four sixes. With Patel he put on 68 runs off 31 balls for the sixth wicket as India made good use of the death overs.

Sri Lanka were on the back foot as debutant pacer Shivam Mavi (4-22) struck twice early on. He bowled Pathum Nissanka (1) and had Dhananjaya de Silva (8) caught.

Dasun Shanaka scored 45 off 27 balls to resurrect the innings with Wanindu Hasranga (21 off 10 balls) they turned the game around before Mavi returned to dismiss Hasranga in the 17th over.

Malik dismissed Shanaka in the 18th over and though Chamika Karunaratne hit 23 off 16 balls the task was too great.

“The team [being] in difficult situations will help us in bigger games,” Pandya, India’s new T20 skipper, said after his first win on home soil. “We, as a team, are quite good in bilateral (series), and that is how we will challenge ourselves,.”

The second T20 will be played in Pune on Thursday.

Kiwi tail frustrates Pakistan

A century-plus last wicket stand by Matt Henry and Ajaz Patel has helped New Zealand take control of the second Test against jittery hosts Pakistan.

Henry, batting at No.10, made a career-best unbeaten 68 off 81 balls while No.11 Patel also notched his Test-best with 35 as they added 104 to propel New Zealand to 449 on day two.

Reverting to their main role as bowlers both then struck early blows as Pakistan batted. With Babar Azam also run out in a mix-up with Imam-ul-Haq Pakistan struggled to 3-154 at stumps on Tuesday. They trail by 295 runs.

Imam was unbeaten on 74 and Saud Shakeel, who took nearly an hour before getting his first run off his 42nd ball and also survived a dropped catch, was not out on 13.

Fast bowler Henry, playing his first Test since last June, induced a top-edge of Abdullah Shafique’s (19) mistimed pull shot and Patel had the aggressive Shan Masood (20 off 11 balls) caught at point.

Babar, who topped the scoring chart in 2022 with 1,184 runs in test matches, was shaping up well with 24 off 41 balls, but Imam declined the third run after initially taking a few steps out of his crease and both batters ended up at the non-striker’s end.

Shakeel could have been out before he had scored, but wicketkeeper Blundell couldn’t hold onto an edge off Bracewell.

“Very happy with how we went about our work,” said Henry. “First and foremost was to score runs and try to press forward. Then we put together quite a strong performance with the ball.”

Earlier, Abrar Ahmed (4-149) struck twice and Naseem Shah (3-71) bowled Ish Sodhi at his overnight score of 11 to leave New Zealand 9-345 after they resumed on 6-309.

Blundell, 30 overnight, was bowled for 51 by Abrar off a delivery that spun away from the righthander and also kept a bit low.

Tim Southee (10) was stumped by Abrar before Patel hung in with Henry, who replaced Neil Wagner in the only change New Zealand made from the team that drew the first Test.

Henry lifted Hasan – who went wicketless in his comeback to Test cricket – and Naseem for big sixes over mid-wicket and smashed eight boundaries.

Patel was equally good against the spinners, hitting four boundaries as both showed plenty of determination before Abrar ended Pakistan’s frustration when he had Patel caught off a mistimed sweep soon after lunch.

“It should not have happened but sometimes the last wicket becomes tough, it gets teasing and wherever you bowl they get runs. It’s not that they hit out, but they batted well,” said Pakistan batting coach Mohammad Yousuf.