The Hundred: Shane Warne tests positive for COVID-19, moves into isolation

Former spinner and London Spirit’s head coach Shane Warne has tested positive for the COVID-19. The head coach and another unnamed person have immediately been moved into isolation after returning positive results for the COVID-19. Warne reported of being unwell on Sunday, just before the game of London Spirit and Southern Brave at Lord’s. A rapid antigen test has come positive for COVID-19 for Warne and he is waiting for his RT-PCR results.

It has to be noted that Warne is the second head coach in The Hundred who has tested positive for COVID-19. Within only 10 days of the tournament, Trent Rockets’ head coach, Andy Flower has also tested positive for the virus. He returned positive results during last week and has missed three games with his side.

Paul Franks is currently filling in the shoes of Andy Flower. On the other hand, the only close friend of Flower who has been forced into self-isolation happens to be Steven Mullaney. Talking about Warne, his team Spirit remained devoid of victory in their first three fixtures where two resulted in defeats and one had no result.

Ian Chappell opens up on The Hundred

Early in the morning, former Australian cricketer and commentator Ian Chappell opened up on his thoughts on the Hundred. He added that this particular format was not required to force cricket into the Olympics as the T20 format could’ve just served the same purpose. He also added that making formats shorter will only force players to focus on the numbers.

“Apart from reducing the number of balls to obtain a terrestrial television deal, the reasoning behind the Hundred could well be that it improves the chances of cricket fulfilling the Olympic dream. This is often cited as a way to spread the game’s popularity to a wider audience. Surely the T20 format could achieve that same outcome without yet another reduction,” said Chappell.

“Cricket is a team game ideally played by 11 members a side. Performance satisfaction is a big reason why youngsters fall in love with the game,” he added.