BAN vs WI | Hayden Walsh Jr. tests positive for Covid-19; kept in isolation

West Indies and Bangladesh have received a scare ahead of the three-match ODI series between the two countries starting January 20, as it has been confirmed that leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr. has tested positive for Covid-19. Walsh Jr. is said to have returned a negative result in the first round of testing, but is believed to have tested positive in the second round of RT-PCR tests that were conducted on Wednesday (January 13). The 28-year-old, however, is said to be asymptomatic and hence has only been kept in isolation. 

The positive result will rule Walsh Jr. out of the three-match ODI series, but the mini-scare will have no bearing on the future of the series, as all Windies players were in isolation past week, with no one in close contact with the leg-spinner. Barring Walsh Jr., all the other touring Windies players returned two negative results, as a result of which the tour will go ahead as planned.

The two teams will play three ODIs, starting January 20, after which they will play two Test matches, the first of which will commence on February 3 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. Walsh Jr’s absence will not hamper the tourists’ plans for the red-ball leg, as the 28-year-old has not been named in the 15-man-squad for the two Tests.