Controversial cricketer Steve Smith is set to become the Australian captain once again with regular skipper Pat Cummins out of the second Ashes Test due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Just hours before the toss at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, officials were trying to determine whether Cummins would be required to isolate after going to dinner on Wednesday night.
It's believed the quick was at an Adelaide restaurant when a person at the next table was identified as a positive coronavirus case.
Those around the case were quickly notified, and Cummins immediately left the venue and alerted officials.
Under South Australian Health protocols, close contacts must isolate and quarantine for seven days after their interaction with a confirmed case.
"Cummins was dining in a restaurant last night and did not breach any biosecurity protocols. He isolated as soon as he became aware of the situation and has since had a PCR test, which produced a negative result," Cricket Australia said in a statement.
"SA Health has confirmed that Cummins is a close contact and will be required to isolate for seven days. As a consequence, Cummins is unavailable to play in the second Ashes Test match in Adelaide, starting today.
"Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon were dining at the same restaurant as Cummins but at a separate table outdoors. SA Health has deemed them casual contacts and they are free to play."
With Cummins ruled out of the Test, Cricket Australia confirmed Smith will captain Australia for the first time since the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal in 2018.
Michael Neser - who lost out to Jhye Richardson to replace Josh Hazlewood - will earn his Test debut with Cummins unavailable.
Cummins' absence along with that of Hazlewood is a massive blow to Australia after the world's top-ranked Test bowler claimed a five-wicket haul in the series-opening win at the Gabba.
He has also taken 46 wickets at an average of 16.23 in day-night Tests, and was expected to reclaim the new ball for the pink-ball match.
Adelaide has had a rise in Covid-19 cases over the past week, with the 25 reported on Wednesday the most in a single day in more than 18 months.
Players are not in strict bubbles for the Adelaide Test, with both Australian and England players wanting as many freedoms as possible on the tour.
But the Cummins incident does call into question what protocols will be required for the next two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney, where cases are beyond 1000 per day.
-Additional reporting by AAP.
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