T20 WC: No tests, isolation for COVID positive players

In a major announcement on Sunday, the ICC confirmed that players who test positive for COVID-19 will be permitted to play T20 World Cup matches.

The ICC stated that if a player contracts COVID-19, there won't be any required testing during the competition or isolation time.

Instead, team doctors would evaluate if it is appropriate for the athlete to compete.

If a player's PCR test results are positive, teams may still modify their starting line up; if the test is negative, the infected player may rejoin the team.

Australia, which previously had some of the tightest COVID-19 regulations in the world, will take a much more liberal approach to host the World Cup this year, according to cricket.com.au.

The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham earlier this year adopted a similar stance, wherein people who tested positive for the virus were handled on a case-by-case basis and not necessarily barred from participation.

But given the strict guidelines used for other marquee events since the pandemic began, it represents a significant turnaround in how the ICC handles COVID-19.

Just in time for the beginning of the preliminary stage of the competition beginning on Sunday, the Australian Federal Government's required isolation rules for those who contract COVID-19 were terminated earlier this week.

The men's T20 World Cup bubble last year was strict, but the virus still forced teams into significant player changes because Covid positive individuals had to isolate for 10 days whether or not they were symptomatic and close connections had to wait six days.