Warwickshire-Hampshire County Championship clash safe to start despite positive Covid-19 case

The unnamed Hants player will not feature in the match at Edgbaston, which was delayed by an hour as an investigation took place

Warwickshire and Hampshire's LV=Insurance County Championship match has been passed as safe to start by Public Health England despite a positive Covid-19 case inside the visitors' camp.

Play on day one (Sunday, September 5) was delayed by an hour to allow for a full investigation to take place. The match in Division One eventually started at 11:30am.

No other players were deemed to be close contacts, allowing the match to go ahead as scheduled. The unnamed Hants player has been ruled out of the game and will self-isolate as per government rules.

An ECB statement said: "The safety of players, officials and staff is our priority and it was important that an investigation was completed before determining it was safe to begin the match."

Hampshire have made three changes to their team from their last Championship match against Yorkshire.

Returning overseas player Mohammad Abbas, James Fuller and Felix Organ have come in for Kyle Abbott, Mason Crane and wicketkeeper Lewis McManus, with Tom Alsop taking the gloves.