Swepson back as Bulls head south early

The fight for for the right to host the Sheffield Shield final took a COVID twist Monday when the Queensland players made a hasty exit to prepare for their battle with NSW.

Players were told they would be put in to “semi-isolation” while in NSW after having COVID-19 tests in Sydney when they landed there on Monday night after being put on three different flights south to get out before a three-day lockdown in Brisbane

Fit-again leg-spinner Mitch Swepson was part of the squad sent south for the the top-of-the-table Sheffield Shield clash against New South Wales starting on Saturday in Wollongong.

But the Monday exit was made ahead of the COVID-19-caused three-day Queensland lockdown and so the players could take part in a 50-over day-night match at North Sydney Oval on Wednesday.

Test squad spinner Swepson – who has been sidelined since early last month with a stress fracture in his neck – won’t play on Wednesday.

#QLDBulls WIN! ?
Back on top on the #MarshCup ladder after a 160 run win against SA!#MaroonGrownpic.twitter.com/VgVWcCgZp8

Instead, he will be saved for the Shield clash, replacing left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann.

Missing from both squads is all-rounder Jack Wildermuth, who will stay in Queensland as he awaits the impending birth of his first child.

Fellow all-rounder James Bazley remains in the Bulls’ one-day squad and is in line for a Queensland “List A” debut on Wednesday.

Batsman Sam Heazlett will miss Wednesday’s clash with a minor quad strain he suffered in the Bulls’ 160-run thrashing of South Australia at Allan Border Field on Sunday.

Heazlett’s replacement in the Bulls’ Marsh Cup squad is Brisbane Heat batsman Max Bryant.

The Bulls are sitting on top of the Shield and Marsh Cup tables.

A win over NSW on Wednesday will result in Queensland hosting the Marsh Cup final at Allan Border Field on April 11.

If the Blues win on Wednesday, they will host the decider at Bankstown Oval.

Whichever team loses could miss the final depending on the result of next week’s match between Western Australia A-Tasmania clash next week.

The three-day lockdown has also caused the cancellation of the under-19 one-day and T20 interstate tri-series that had been scheduled to take place at Redlands this week.

Bulls’ Shield squad: Usman Khawaja (c), Xavier Bartlett, Joe Burns, Brendan Doggett, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Bryce Street, Mitchell Swepson (12th man to be named).

Bulls’ Marsh Cup squad: Usman Khawaja (c), Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake (12th man to be named).

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