Travis Head tests positive for Covid-19, to miss Sydney Test

Travis Head has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss the New Year's Ashes Test in Sydney, Cricket Australia revealed on Friday (December 31). The board has added Mitchell Marsh, Nic Maddinson and Josh Inglis to the Australian squad as additional cover.

Head returned a positive result following a routine PCR test. He is asymptomatic and will remain in isolation with his partner in Melbourne as per Victorian Health and Government regulation, thereby ruling him out of the fourth Test of the Ashes series that Australia have already clinched following wins in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne.

Head's is the latest in a string of positive cases emerging from Australia. Yesterday, ICC match referee David Boon and England head coach Chris Silverwood were moved into isolation. The tally of cases in the England travelling continent, which includes families of players and support staff, stands at seven.

Meanwhile, a Big Bash League fixture between Melbourne Stars and the Perth Scorchers also had to be postponed in Melbourne because of a positive case in the Stars' camp while Australia captain Pat Cummins had to miss the Day-Night Test in Adelaide after he was identified as a close contact of a person that subsequently tested positive.

Head, who Cricket Australia hope will return for the series-ending fifth Test in Hobart, has been in fine form since being reinstated as the team's No.5 at the start of the series. He began the series with a blistering 152 at The Gabba before adding another half-century in Adelaide for a series tally of 248 runs from three Tests at 62, second only to Joe Root's 253.

Usman Khawaja, who was in contention for the middle-order role before it went to Head, is likely to feature in Sydney.