Australia have once again been hit with COVID chaos just a day out from the first of their three T20I matches against the West Indies, with captain Mitchell Marsh testing positive.

Marsh, who was named captain for the series in a likely audition for the role at June’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA, has been declared fit to play unless his symptoms worsen.

But the requirement the all-rounder use a separate dressing room and socially distance from teammates on the field is set to make the captaincy all the more challenging.

Marsh is the third Australian to test positive for the virus during the limited-overs portion of the West Indies’ tour, with Josh Inglis and Cameron Green also impacted during the ODI series.

Comically, Green was shooed away from a wicket celebration during the second ODI in Sydney by veteran quick Josh Hazlewood, to ensure he abided by COVID regulations.

It’s the first setback in what has been a landmark summer for Marsh, with the popular Western Australian entrenching himself in the Test team after a series of crucial performances against Pakistan, to go with his 2023 Ashes heroics in England and his key role in Australia’s upset World Cup triumph in India.

Most notably, he was a shock winner of the Allan Border Medal last week.

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