Marnus Labuschagne forced to pull out of T20 Blast match after COVID-19 scare

Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne was forced to pull out of Glamorgan's T20 Blast match against Middlesex on Monday after his compatriot Nick Selman tested positive for COVID-19.

Glamorgan coach Matthew Maynard said they were unaware of how Selman caught the virus. Marnus Labuschagne and another Australian, Michael Neser, weren't allowed to travel with the rest of the team as a 'precautionary measure'.

Maynard was quoted as saying by the BBC:

"The positive test came out at about half-past seven this morning, and as a precautionary measure, we kept Marnus out from travelling with us today. We're not sure where Nick Selman picked up COVID, whether it was down in Brighton or in Cardiff. But he wasn't feeling well, so he went for the tests and the results came through at 07:30."

𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 🚨Head coach Matt Maynard has named a 12-man squad for our @VitalityBlast match against @surreycricket tomorrowSelman, Labuschagne and Neser are all ruled out of the fixture ☹️#GLAMvSUR l #GoGlam pic.twitter.com/oujuXrzqhl

— Glamorgan Cricket 🏏 (@GlamCricket) June 28, 2021

A subsequent official statement from the club also confirmed that all other members of the team have returned with negative COVID-19 tests. The statement read:

"Batsman Nick Selman has tested positive for coronavirus following the results of a PCR test. He will now spend 10 days in self-isolation. The club also identified Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser as potential close contacts and are taking the precautionary measure of removing them from the matchday squad. All other team members, coaches and staff returned negative results."

Marnus Labuschagne has led the scoring charts for Glamorgan in 2021

Marnus Labuschagne has been on 🔥 in the World Test Championship 👏#Australia #WTC pic.twitter.com/JCBHxLKeWr

— Sportskeeda India (@Sportskeeda) June 22, 2021

While Neser hasn't featured in a single game for Glamorgan this year, Marnus Labuschagne and Nick Selman's absence will be a huge blow for their team.

Labuschagne has so far topped the scoring charts, with 294 runs from six innings at an average and strike-rate of 58.80 and 137.38 respectively. Selman, who earned youth representative honors for Queensland in both cricket and football, is third with 130 runs from six innings.

After failing to make Australia's limited-overs squad, Marnus Labuschagne's brilliant form at the tournament was his final bid for a spot in the national team for this year's T20 World Cup.