Cricket Australia (CA) has fined the Brisbane Heat and two of their players, Chris Lynn and Dan Lawrence, for multiple breaches of the Big Bash League’s (BBL) COVID-19 protocols.

The Heat were fined $50,000, with $20,000 suspended for the remainder of the season.

Lynn and Lawrence avoided suspension but each accepted $10,000 fines, with $4,000 suspended for the remainder of the season.

CA launched an investigation on Monday and found the two players had close contact with members of the public in Canberra at the weekend.

Heat Captain Lynn admitted to taking a photo with a member of public at a licensed venue and catching a taxi.

Both players were given permission to play in Monday night’s BBL match against the Sydney Thunder at Manuka Oval, although they were instructed to distance themselves from teammates.

“The code of conduct charges issued today relate to alleged breaches of protocols that are in place in order to protect our players, officials, staff and the wider community,” CA’s head of integrity and security, Sean Carroll, said in a statement.

“Potential COVID-19 hotspots and related impacts on state borders remain a challenge for the league and it is imperative that all protocols are adhered to, giving us the best opportunity to move around the country and execute the full schedule.”

Lynn issued an apology earlier on Tuesday, saying he was “lulled into a false sense of security”.

“I would like to say sorry to my teammates, the club and the Heat fans for being careless and not observing the protocols that were put in place to ensure the continuity of the competition,” he said.

“Having a photo with a fan at a licensed venue and travelling in a taxi seem pretty low risk but they were identified in our briefings as examples of things you couldn’t do.”

The incident was Australian cricket’s first COVID-19 protocol breach during the domestic season. The WBBL tournament and two international white-ball series between Australia and India were played without incident.

ABC/AAP



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