The BBL clash between the Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars has been postponed less than three hours before the first ball due to a positive COVID case. A Stars support staff member returned a positive test on Thursday afternoon, which resulted in exposure to many of the team's playing group. Cricket Australia said all Stars players and staff who had been in contact with the positive case undertook PCR tests as soon as possible but the results had not been received within sufficient time for the match to proceed. CA said the league would advise of a new date for the match as soon as possible.
"While regrettable, the decision to postpone tonight’s match was the only option available given the exposures within the Stars cohort," Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s General Manager of Big Bash Leagues, said. "The league has a number of biosecurity protocols in place to keep our participants safe and the competition moving forward. "These protocols are regularly reviewed in response to the risks in each state. Safety remains our number one priority and we will work with the Stars to get their side back on the field as soon as possible. "Remarkably, it's the first WBBL or BBL match to be postponed since the beginning of the pandemic. Australia, like many regions around the world, has been hit by a new wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, with the populous states of Victoria and New South Wales adding in excess of 17,000 new cases on Wednesday.
