Two West Indies players sidelined with Covid-19 at Under-19 World Cup

Two players from the West Indies squad, Onaje Amory and Jaden Carmichael, have tested Covid positive at the U-19 World Cup. The tournament's Event Technical Committee has allowed temporary replacements Kevin Wickham and Nathan Edwards for the two players who will now serve an isolation period.

The announcement from ICC came just hours before a match that West Indies must win to make the quarter-finals. Offspinner Amory is the only West Indies bowler to complete all ten overs in the two games they have played so far, taking three wickets with an economy rate of 3.75. Carmichael has not yet played a game.

There are provisions at the Under-19 World Cup for fixtures to either be postponed or relocated in case of a Covid-19 outbreak. But, with West Indies having adequate replacements on hand, there was no need to take any extreme measures. Wickham and Edwards were immediately brought into XI to play against Sri Lanka on Friday but their time with the team is temporary. They will be removed from the squad as soon as the infected players are able to return.

West Indies are the third team to be affected by Covid-19 at this tournament. Four players from Zimbabwe tested positive in early January, and at least five India players returned positive tests too.

So far, West Indies have a 1-1 win-loss record at the Under-19 World Cup. They lost their opening fixture against Australia by six wickets before beating Scotland by seven wickets. If they beat Sri Lanka on Friday, they will set up a quarter-final clash against Pakistan, Zimbabwe or Afghanistan.