KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Ireland manager Chris Siddle has described the COVID-19 setbacks in the camp as “stressful” but said the tourists were fully committed to completing the One-Day International series against West Indies.
Two players tested positive on arrival here last week and were ruled out of the series while another two players – including captain Andy Balbirnie – along with head coach David Ripley, returned positive tests following last Saturday’s opener at Sabina Park.
The development, coupled with a couple injuries in the Irish camp, depleted the squad and forced a postponement of the second game from Tuesday to today, and the cancellation of the one-off Twenty20 International set for Sunday.
“It is a very stressful time for the guys because once you have one case, it’s everyone is sitting waiting on test results,” explained Siddle.
“You’re isolated in your room, you’re constantly worried: is it me next? What’s happening? Is it going to be game on? Is it going to be game off?
“That becomes the main focus of what you’re doing there and everything you’re thinking about is not so much cricket, but you’re worried about what’s going to happen in terms of COVID and tests and what may come of it.”
The disruption for Ireland started on last month’s white-ball tour of the United States where they managed to complete the three-match Twenty20 International series in Fort Lauderdale but were then forced to scrap the subsequent ODI phase because of multiple positive cases.
And just prior to the squad’s departure for the Caribbean, two more players tested positive, including experienced batting all-rounder Paul Stirling.
Thursday’s ODI will bowl off with Ireland still struggling with a threadbare squad but Siddle said there was a desire on the part of all involved, to push ahead with the remaining matches.
“I know Ireland and the West Indies team really want to play the games and that was the main reason for delaying the games and taking the T20 out at the end,” said Siddle, who returned to Ireland after staying behind with the isolating players in Florida.
“And that was making sure we get all the cricket in, and it means the first couple of guys two tested positive for us should be back for the final game, and Andy McBrine who had a knock on the head and a concussion should be back and available so we should actually have a full team to pick from.
“If you’ve got 13 players available we’d be really keen to play a game and I think both teams and most teams in the world would have that attitude. It got to a point after that first ODI where we were down to ten guys and just couldn’t play.”
Siddle, whose wife also tested positive on the US tour after families were allowed to travel with the contingent, said the threat of COVID remained ever present while cricket continued amidst the pandemic.
“We’ve been on so many tours. This is our ninth tour where we’ve been in bubbles with COVID … so we understand the stress of it,” he pointed out.
“I think it hit [us] that the Omicron has been a lot more contagious in that on previous tours, we’ve had one case and it showed up quite early through routine testing and we were able to contain it.
“Whereas, in the USA, we did our routine testing and we had six people test positive on the same day from the same routine test with no symptoms and that kind of really blindsides you when that happens.”
Ireland play West Indies in the final ODI on Sunday.
