'I had to sit in a changing room on my own'- Matthew Wade sheds light on his fight with COVID-19

Australia's chances of qualifying for the semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup in their own backyard hangs in the balance after England defeated table-toppers New Zealand in a crucial match. Veteran Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade, who has had a topsy turvy campaign, gave an insight into his journey in the competition so far via his latest column for the BBC.

Matthew Wade, who contracted the Covid-19 virus last week after teammate Adam Zampa was sidelined due to the infection, revealed spending time in the dressing room all by himself as he was not allowed to mix with his teammates. Although the new rules in the game allowed players infected by Covid-19 to partake in the tournament, the players had to keep their distance to avoid spreading the virus to their teammates.

"Last week my positive Covid test meant that, while more than 60,000 people were expected to come to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for our game against England, I had to sit in a changing room on my own. I was allowed to talk to team-mate Adam Zampa - he had tested positive earlier in the week - but otherwise, I had to keep my distance from the rest of the squad. I could hear them from my changing room, but I was not allowed to mix with the others," Matthew Wade said in his column.

Wade made a cheeky remark about Warner and Maxwell

Wade also shed light on the eagerness of David Warner and Glenn Maxwell to take the gloves in case he missed the game as the backup keeper Josh Inglis was ruled out of the tournament after a freak golf accident. The Australian cricketer made a cheeky remark about Warner and Maxwell, explaining the reality of keeping the wickets against brisk fast bowlers like Mitchell Starc.

"We took the risk when Josh Inglis got injured not to call up another backup wicketkeeper, so if I did not play the only other option was one of the part-time keepers, like Davey Warner or Glenn Maxwell, taking the gloves. Like any part-time keeper, those two like to think they could do the job, but once reality kicks in and you have to dive down the leg side or take one from Mitchell Starc at 90mph it's a whole different thing," he added.