The 27th match of the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL 11) between Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars had to be postponed hours before the game was due to take place on Thursday, December 30, in Melbourne after a support staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

A member of the Melbourne Stars’ support staff returned a positive COVID-19 test on Thursday afternoon, with all the players and staff of the side deemed close contact, which led to the postponement of the BBL 11 contest at the Marvel Stadium, Melbourne.

All players and staff of the Melbourne Stars underwent PCR tests and are awaiting results from the BBL, with Cricket Australia and BBL to advise a new date for the match as soon as possible.

Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s General Manager of BBL, stated: “While regrettable, the decision to postpone tonight’s match was the only option available given the exposures within the Stars cohort.”

Read Also: BBL 11: WATCH - Tim David deliberately attempts short run; gets 5 runs penalty

Dobson further added, “The league has a number of biosecurity protocols in place to keep our participants safe and the competition moving forward. These protocols are regularly reviewed in response to the risks in each state. Safety remains our number one priority and we will work with the Stars to get their side back on the field as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, Melbourne Stars General Manager Blair Crouch said: “The staff member is being managed by Melbourne Stars medical staff in consultation with Cricket Australia and we look forward to them being able to return to the group in due course. We have key home matches scheduled on January 2 and 3 in Melbourne so we hope to have more clarity through testing over the next 24-48 hours.”

Notably, this is the first time a BBL or WBBL match was directly hit by a COVID case during the pandemic. Earlier, Sydney Thunder's Sam Whiteman missed a BBL 11 game due to being in possible close contact with a positive case.

(With cricket.com.au Inputs)