Josh Little called up by Ireland after four players test positive ahead of US-Windies tour

Irish fast bowler Joshua Little who is currently plying his trade in the Lanka Premier League 2021, has been called up to bolster the squad that has left for the combined tour of the United States and West Indies which will begin December 22. 

According to a Cricket Ireland media release, four players i.e. Barry McCarthy, George Dockrell, Harry Tector and Gareth Delany have tested positive in the pres series testing and fast bowler Craig Young was identified as a close contact of Covid-19 positive persons and has therefore not been allowed to travel with the team. 

While McCarthy and Dockrell tested positive during pre-series testing, Tector and Delany, who have been in Florida playing the US T20 Open tournament-tested positive before linking up with the side which landed in Miami a few days ago. The pair have begun their 10-day in-room isolation already. McCarthy and Dockrell are also expected to link up with their teammates in the USA soon. 

Along with players, Assistant coach Gary Wilson has also not been able to travel with the team after he received a false positive report on his pre-series Covid test. The former Irish international is being re-tested, and if clear, will fly out on Sunday.

"We are pleased to have our squad arrive in Miami and are all looking forward to the series ahead,” Richard Holdsworth, high-performance director for Cricket Ireland, said. 

"We have experienced a few last-minute complications related to COVID, but with the extended travelling squad that we have taken, and the recall of Josh Little from Sri Lanka, we don't foresee any issues with the series proceeding as scheduled,” he further added. 

After playing three ODIs and two T20Is in the US, the Irish team will travel to the Caribbean and play West Indies in three ODIs, between January 8 and 14, and a one-off T20I scheduled for January 17.