Katie Mack's preparation for this month's Australia A series against England A has been thrown into disarray after her partner tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday night.
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The Meteors run machine has spent all summer desperately trying to avoid the virus, to the extent of taking the field with hand sanitiser and batting in a facemask, but is now awaiting a PCR test result which will determine if she can join her new teammates in Adelaide early next week.
A 15-strong Australia A squad is due to convene in Adelaide on Monday ahead of the first of three T20 matches against England A on January 20.
Mack's partner came down with a fever late on Tuesday, and the 28-year-old immediately entered isolation before being tested on Wednesday morning.
"It's obviously not ideal and hopefully best case scenario I'll still get to Adelaide for all the games," Mack said.
"I reckon I'd have been safe from getting COVID from anyone in the last week except maybe my partner and that's the one person who got it.
"He'll be fine, he just came down with a pretty bad fever last night.
"Worst case is I test positive in a couple of days and I have to do seven days isolation from there. It could be actually really, really good timing and I could get it before this whole competition and not have to worry [about catching it] for the rest of [the season].
"I'm somewhat kind of hoping I actually test positive so I can get it over with, rather than just being nervous and freaking out all the time. It might turn out to be a positive in the end but at the moment it's hard to see it that way."
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Mack found out over the weekend that she'd won selection to the Australia A squad, following a stellar Women's Big Bash season for the Adelaide Strikers.
Her 513 runs across the tournament were second only to Australian star Beth Mooney.
That scintillating form set her up perfectly for the summer's Women's National Cricket League, but the Meteors have managed just one match all season due to constant Covid-induced postponements - a 207-run loss to the NSW Breakers in Canberra last week.
They were due to play on Sunday against NSW at Manuka Oval, but that match was postponed a day earlier due to multiple positive cases in the Meteors camp.
"It'd be pretty tough for me to say that I've got it tough because I've got a home I can isolate in, and we're still healthy," Mack said.
"[I'm] actually pretty lucky because I'm actually at my partner's parents' house at the moment and they've got a few spare rooms.
"I'll wait until we get the PCR result and if I'm negative we might look to move me out and get me somewhere else. It'll all be just play it by ear, be as safe as we can."
Ex-Meteor Maitlan Brown was also selected in the Australia A squad, announced on Wednesday.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
