BRIDGETOWN: The second One-day International between West Indies and Australia in Barbados was suspended minutes before the start on Thursday after a member of the West Indies staff tested positive for Covid-19.

Confirmation of the suspension came straight after the toss, with both teams promptly making their way back to their respective dressing rooms at the Kensington Oval.

All personnel were isolating pending Covid test results.

“A decision on when the match will be replayed will be made at a later date once all the tests are confirmed,” West Indies Cricket said in a statement.

The teams have stayed on separate floors of their hotels during the tour but they shared the same charter plane from Saint Lucia to Barbados last Saturday, Cricket Australia (CA)’s website said.

CA said the third ODI on Saturday was in ‘considerable doubt’.

Australia’s pacers demolished the West Indies batting line-up to claim a comprehensive 133-run victory on the DLS method in the rain-affected first One-day International at the same venue on Tuesday.

After stand-in captain Alex Carey led from the front with a top-score of 67 to lift his side to 252-9, only his West Indies counterpart Kieron Pollard (56) stood firm against the tourists’ faster bowlers as the home side were routed for 123 off 26.2 overs in reply.

Set a revised target of 257 in a match reduced to 49 overs per side, West Indies were reduced to 27-6 with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood sharing the wickets. Player-of-the-match finished with a haul of 5-48.

That came after leg-spinner Hayden Walsh led the West Indies bowling effort with figures of 5-39, triggering a late slide when he broke a 104-run fifth wicket partnership between Carey and Ashton Turner (49).

Scores in brief:

AUSTRALIA 252-9 in 49 overs (A.T. Carey 67, A. Turner 49, J.R. Philippe 39, B.R. McDermott 28, M.R. Marsh 20; H.R. Walsh 5-39, A.S. Joseph 2-40, A.J. Hosein 2-50); WEST INDIES 123 in 26.2 overs (K.A. Pollard 56, H.R. Walsh 20; M.A. Starc 5-48, J.R. Hazlewood 3-11).

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2021