Cricket Australia have confirmed that star opener David Warner and pacer Sean Abbott will sit out from the second Test against India starting from December 26 in Melbourne.
The governing body have also said that Warner and Abbott have been excluded from the Australian team’s bio-secure bubble in Melbourne as a precaution due to a Covid-19 outbreak in their hometown Sydney.
“While neither player has been in a specific hotspot as outlined by NSW Health, Cricket Australia’s bio-security protocols do not allow them to rejoin the squad in time for the Boxing Day Test,” CA said.
And here is David Warner back in the nets for the first time in a while facing Sean Abbott #AUSvIND @cricbuzz pic.twitter.com/3vBiVH7Yiv
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) December 23, 2020
Warner hasn’t been part of the Australia squad since he picked up an injury in the second ODI at Sydney. Seamster Abbott had picked up a calf strain in the second warm-up game against India A. While the 28-year old has recovered from the same, he has not been included in the squad.
Both players had left Sydney last Saturday to fly to Melbourne as the COVID19 outbreak developed in Sydney, where the pair were at home recuperating from their injuries outside the team’s bio-secure hub.
The second Test against India starts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26.