Australian cricket team's limited-overs specialist and Big Bash League (BBL) side Melbourne Stars' captain Glenn Maxwell on Wednesday returned a positive test for COVID-19, becoming the 13th player from the club to contract the virus.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With the COVID-19 chaos continuing in the BBL, the Melbourne Renegades became the fifth club to report a COVID-19 case.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The BBL disclosed on Wednesday morning that the league's star attraction, Maxwell, had returned a positive rapid antigen test following the Melbourne derby against the Renegades on Monday and is now awaiting the results of a PCR test, according to cricket.com.au.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Within hours, BBL said that the Renegades had become the fifth club to report a positive case this season. Renegades have cancelled their training session on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In addition to the Stars and the Renegades, three other BBL sides have reported COVID-19 cases with Brisbane Heat being forced to pull out of their match against the Sydney Sixers on the Gold Coast on Tuesday. Perth Scorchers substituted for them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Melbourne Stars' outbreak has pushed them to turn to club cricketers and overlooked state-contracted players to field a team for games against Perth Scorchers (January 2) and the Renegades (January 3).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Stars' key players, including Adam Zampa, Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile, should return for the club's next match against the Adelaide Strikers on January 7 after completing their mandated seven-day isolation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Leading Stars players Hilton Cartwright, who has managed to avoid contracting the virus, said the outbreak has affected his mental state.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I've never felt more vulnerable to a virus in my entire life and I never realised how much it was going to affect my mental state," Cartwright was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I've had form slumps and this ranks right up there with how I actually feel about going about my business day-to-day. Myself and my wife have basically been locked up in our room, not sure if we're capable of catching the lift in case someone in there might have caught (COVID-19).<\/p>\r\n\r\n