Chris Silverwood, the head coach of England’s men’s cricket team, tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend as the fourth game of the Ashes series against Australia approaches. He has been fully vaccinated against the disease.

The 46-year-old cricket coach has reportedly been in isolation since Thursday this week after a family member tested positive for COVID. According to reports from BBC, Silverwood has been asymptomatic and will continue to be in isolation till at least January 8.

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Silverwood was already set to miss the next Ashes Test game — being hosted in Sydney– but is expected to make a comeback for the final game of the five-match series. The last game will be held in Hobart.

England’s camp has been constantly disrupted due to reasons linked to COVID. On Sunday, a local net bowler assisting the team tested positive for the deadly disease. The incident triggered a round of RT-PCR testing for the entire cohort.

According to reports from BBC, all members of the Australian squad– and their family members–  have tested negative for COVID.

England’s touring party has recorded seven positive cases — three support staff and four family members — since a PCR testing regime was implemented on Monday.

On Thursday, Cricket Australia announced that former Australia player David Boon, scheduled to be the match referee for the Sydney test, had tested positive to COVID-19 and will be replaced by Steve Bernard.

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Cricket Australia is confident the Sydney test can go ahead as planned, despite rising case numbers in the city and the outbreak in England’s camp.

Both teams flew to Sydney on a chartered flight on Friday morning, and have an entire hotel complex booked out for them in the city’s eastern suburbs to minimize risk of contracting the virus.

(With AP inputs)