Jimmy Anderson hoping England’s Covid outbreak will not spread any further

A series that has lurched from bad to worse on the field is now beset by concerns over the virus, which has already infected seven people from the wider touring group in Melbourne.

The under-pressure Silverwood tested negative on Wednesday but one of his family members did return a positive result and he has been instructed to isolate with them for up to 10 days, meaning assistant coach Graham Thorpe will lead England to Sydney.

He is fronting a slender backroom team, with fast bowling coach Jon Lewis, spin mentor Jeetan Patel and strength and conditioning specialist Darren Veness among the positive cases in quarantine.

Match referee David Boon will also miss the fourth Test having contracted the virus, another cause for concern, with his absence confirmed just as a Big Bash League match between Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers was called off at the eleventh hour following a confirmed case.

Another round of PCR testing was conducted on Thursday, the fourth batch since the first positive in the travelling party, and an all-clear is needed to quell difficult questions about the continuation of the series.

As it stands, both teams are due to share a charter flight on New Year’s Eve and then stay in the same hotel in Sydney. Should there be further cases among the England group, specifically the 18-strong playing staff, it is hard to foresee things going ahead as planned.

Thorpe took an optional net session at the MCG on Thursday morning, assisted by Ant Botha, with Anderson among those in attendance.

The 39-year-old spoke for the camp as he assessed a fluid situation with some uncertainty.

“We are just hoping it’s not spreading any further and we can make sure everyone is safe and able to travel to Sydney.

“We found out late last night (about Silverwood). It’s frustrating and we’ve been tested again this morning, the whole team,” he said.

“We are just hoping it’s not spreading any further and we can make sure everyone is safe and able to travel to Sydney. It’s not ideal but it’s been that sort of tour. Something has been happening all the time. Lots of stuff away from the cricket which can cause distractions, so it’s something we have to deal with.”