South African player becomes first active cricketer to test positive for Coronavirus
South Africa's first-class cricketer, Solo Nicholas Nqweni has tested positive for coronavirus. He became the third cricketer after Zafar Sarfraz of Pakistan and Scotland's Majid Haq to be afflicted by the deadly virus.
In a heartfelt Twitter post, Nqweni talked about contracting coronavirus along with his already existing battles against GBS (Guillain-Barre Syndrome), TB, liver and kidney failure. The unfortunate South African all-rounder had also spent four weeks in an induced coma in 2019. His grief was immediately acknowledged by former South African players like Wayne Parnell, who vowed to support his countryman during his fight against all the diseases.
Solo Nicholas Nqweni was disconsolate and sent out a tweet from Scotland that read:
"So last year I got GBS, and have been battling this disease for the past 10 months and I’m only half way through my recovery. I got TB, my liver failed and my kidney failed. Now today I tested positive for corona virus. I don’t understand why all of this is happening to me."
Parnell was quick to lend his support and asked Nqweni not to lose hope.
"Keep The Faith Homie, with you all the way, I got you!!!"
Nqweni represented the South Africa Under-19s in the year 2012. Apart from playing franchise cricket for the Warriors, he has also been contracted by Eastern Province. He was playing as a professional cricketer at the Aberdeenshire Cricket Club in Scotland.
When the last reports came in from Herald Live, he was in the intensive care unit of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Scotland.
Alex Hales denied testing positive for coronavirus
The first coronavirus scare for the cricketing world came in the form of English cricketer Alex Hales, who was representing a franchise in the Pakistan Super League. The report was further given hype when the Pakistan Cricket Board CEO, Wasim Khan revealed that a foreign player in PSL was suspected to have coronavirus.
However, Hales later denied any reports of testing positive despite showing symptoms of the deadly virus early on.
His statement said: