Covid chaos continues for Kent as Nathan Gilchrist goes into self-isolation

Gilchrist, who has tested negative for Covid-19 and is symptom-free, was part of the makeshift squad put together for their match against Sussex after a member of Kent's T20 Blast side tested positive, with his teammates deemed to be close contacts

Kent seamer Nathan Gilchrist has been advised to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, ruling him out of the remainder of the ongoing County Championship fixture against Sussex.

Gilchrist, who has tested negative for Covid-19 with a lateral flow test and is symptom-free, will now self-isolate for 10 days in accordance with guidelines.

The news is the latest complication in a chaotic few days for Kent; Gilchrist himself was part of an entirely new group of players selected for the Sussex match, after the entire squad involved in last Friday’s T20 Blast victory over Surrey at the Kia Oval was forced to self-isolate after an unnamed player tested positive, with all others present deemed to be close contacts.

Kent chief executive Simon Storey stated the county’s belief that Gilchrist’s incident “is totally unrelated” to the T20 situation, adding that the young bowler had not been with the matchday squad for the game against Surrey.

“The club has full safety protocols in place that covers players, staff and spectators,” added Storey. “However, the increase in cases across the community means that even the most stringent Covid-19 codes of conduct cannot completely remove all risk of Test and Trace incidents of this nature.”

Kent forced to name makeshift squad after Blast side forced into isolation

Bailey Wightman, who has played four matches for Kent’s second team this season, will cover for Gilchrist as a Covid replacement for the rest of the game at Canterbury against Sussex, joining several others making their first-class debuts. Dan Lincoln, Harry Houillon, Jas Singh and Joe Gordon were all picked for the first time.

Kent are not alone in facing these issues: Essex’s clash with Derbyshire was abandoned on Monday morning after a Derbyshire player tested positive after the first day’s play, while England are fielding a second string in their ODI series with Pakistan after a Covid outbreak at the end of the hosts’ preceding series against Sri Lanka.