IPL COVID crisis: Michael Hussey remains trapped in India after second positive test

Aussie cricket legend Michael Hussey returned a second positive COVID test as he remains in India – and it’s been revealed how he may have contracted the virus.

Michael Hussey has had a setback in his battle with COVID with further testing coming back positive.

The former Australian batsman had appeared to be on the road to recovery when he’d tested negative on Friday.

The Chennai Super Kings batting coach came down with the virus two days after it was revealed three other staff members of the franchise were positive.

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Hussey is understood to have sat next to one of the infected assistants on a bus.

The majority of the Australians who were at the IPL are now in Maldives unable to return home until after the government travel ban lifts on May 15.

The Australians on the island off the coast of India were alarmed when they were woken by an enormous explosion before 6am on Sunday morning.

Australian cricket great Michael Hussey was coaching in the IPL.

The sonic boom was from a Chinese rocket which entered the earth’s atmosphere and crashed near the island.

“We heard the bang around 5.30am this morning,” David Warner said.

“Experts say the noise we heard is the crack in the atmosphere which sets off a wave of sound not the actual impact of the rocket.”

Videos claimed to show a comet like object trailing across the sky and into the ocean near the archipelago.

The capital of Male was shaken by a terrorist blast on Thursday evening which critically injured parliamentary speaker and former president Mohamed Nasheed.

The players are attempting to lie low after a public backlash over perceptions they are receiving favourable treatment when at least 8000 Australians have registered their desire to get out of India.

The stranded citizens had struggled to pay the steep prices demanded on the occasional flights before a total border ban – with threats of jail terms – were brought down by the government.

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said last week the players were not seeking any exemptions and were given government permission to attend the IPL and return.

Michael Hussey (centre) contracted COVID while in India for the IPL and is recovering.

The Australians at the IPL had been assigned quarantine places over and above the caps affecting other citizens return.

The Australian revealed on Friday that Hussey had tested negative a few days after the original diagnosis. The former player they call Mr Cricket had been isolated in his hotel room suffering mild symptoms which included fever but was air lifted to Chennai at the end of the week where his franchise had arranged care.

Hussey needs two negative tests before he can leave India and return home like the 38 Australians who worked at the IPL.

He is in the same facility as New Zealand player Tim Seifert who was diagnosed with COVID just hours before he was due to join a flight out of that country.

Seifert tested positive the same time as Indian KKR player Prasidh Krishna.

The pair joined KKR’s Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier, who had been announced positive earlier last week.

David Warner has spoken about a Chinese rocket that crashed in the Maldives. Picture: Instagram, David Warner

Six players, two coaches and two peripheral staff members have fallen ill with the virus as the IPL was abandoned by organisers.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly indicated over the weekend that the postponed event would not recommence in India.

“India is supposed to go to Sri Lanka for three ODIs and five T20Is. There are lots of organisational hazards like 14-day quarantine. It can’t happen in India. This quarantine is tough to handle. Too early to say how we can find a slot to complete the IPL,” he said.

“You can say that now in hindsight that the IPL should have been called off earlier. Mumbai and Chennai (bio bubbles) did not have cases.

“Only when the IPL reached Delhi and Ahmedabad did the cases rise.

“People will say a lot of things in any case.

“The English Premier League had so many people affected. But they could reschedule the matches. But you can’t do that with IPL.

“You stop it for seven days and it is done. Players go back home and then the process of quarantine starts from scratch.”

There was a proposal to play the IPL in the UAE this year which was rejected, but it appears that is where the remainder of the tournament will be conducted.

India is supposed to host the T20 World Cup later in the year.

Hussey’s escape plan before false negative

Mike Hussey’s Indian Premier League franchise is seeking to book him an air ambulance to Chennai in a bid to support his recovery from COVID-19.

The moves comes as a group of 30 Australian IPL cricketers flew out of the same city to the Maldives on an early afternoon charter flight.

The Chennai Super Kings are keen for Hussey to be as close to head office as possible in the 10 days he must spend in quarantine and were known to be investigating flight options so he could travel separately from his teammates into the franchise’s home city.

Former champion batsman turned commentator and coach Hussey is reportedly suffering mild COVID symptoms and faces 10 days quarantine in India and another 14 when he returns to Australia following the cancellation of the IPL.

Hussey and the Super Kings have been staying in COVID hot spot Delhi where Hussey contracted COVID after sitting next to an assistant coach who had earlier tested positive.

Australian players were reported by the Indian Express to be en route to the Maldives where they would stay until the May 15 travel ban to Australia expires.

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni was reported to have told his Super Kings teammates he would be the last person on the flight home and felt that all international players and staff in the franchise should leave first.

I challenge you to a debate anytime PM.

— Michael Slater (@mj_slats) May 5, 2021

Amazing to smoke out the PM on a matter that is a human crisis. The panic, the fear of every Australian in India is real!! How about you take your private jet and come and witness dead bodies on the street!

— Michael Slater (@mj_slats) May 5, 2021

The Super Kings were hopeful of not leaving Hussey by himself in Delhi as the last Australian cricketer remaining in India.

BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal reaffirmed India’s commitment to getting players home.

“We stand by our word that for us, the IPL is not complete until our players and officials reach their homes safe and secure,’’ Dhumal said.

“We are working on that and will come out with a detailed plan in two days.”

Channel 7 has defended Michael Slater’s right to free speech but is “keenly monitoring’’ the fallout to his verbal war with the government over the travel ban on India.

Slater, who works for Seven during the Australian cricket season, has launched several Twitter attacks on Prime Minister Scott Morrison who he has challenged to debate the issue.
Seven has kept the controversy at arm’s length.

Television networks often enjoy strong voices with lively, divisive opinions but it is also conscious of the need to maintain strong government relations

“We respect people’s right to speak their mind so long as it is done respectfully,’’ a Seven spokesman said last night.

“Michael is not a full-time employee of Seven.

“He has a contract with us but is working for another employer in India.

“But we are keenly monitoring the situation.’’

Slater is under contract with Seven until September and is likely to have talks with the station about a new deal in the coming months.

Usman Khawaja in action during the Big Bash earlier this year. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

KHAWAJA PAKISTAN PLAN UNDER THREAT

Usman Khawaja’s quest to play in the nation of his birth is under a cloud as the COVID curse threatens more disruption for Australian cricketers.

Emergency plans are being considered to move next month’s Pakistan Super League from Karachi to the United Arab Emirates following a major spike in COVID cases in Pakistan over the past few weeks.

All six PSL teams have signed a letter to tournament organisers asking for the tournament to be moved to the UAE.

Khawaja was drafted to replace England’s Alex Hales by Islamabad, the city of his birth.

Fellow Australians Callum Ferguson, James Faulkner and Joe Burns have joined the Lahore Qalandars.

The Super League will be relaunched on June 1 with the final on June 20. Teams are scheduled to assemble in Karachi by May 23 for a seven-day quarantine.

Khawaja was born in Pakistan but came to Australia with his family aged five.

The PSL was postponed in March after 14 of the 34 matches had been played. There had been major concern over some biosecurity breaches with several players contracting COVID.

“I’ve played in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh but I have never played in Pakistan where I was born and it is something I would love to do,’’ Khawaja said recently.