Kent batsman Jordan Cox has been excluded from the club’s upcoming Bob Willis Trophy game against Middlesex after breaking social-distancing protocols.
The 19-year-old batsman was dropped after agreeing to a request for a photograph with young fans, thus breaching medical protocols put in place due to Covid-19.
This comes a day after Cox scored an unbeaten 238 in Kent’s innings win over Sussex, only his fifth first-class match, becoming the first batsman born in this century to hit a first-class hundred in England.
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Cox, who was part of England’s squad in this year’s U19 World Cup, will now go through a period of mandatory self-isolation and will require to be tested negative for Covid-19 before he can join the Kent squad again.
In a statement issued by Kent Cricket, Cox apologised for his actions. “I am very sorry that this has happened,” Cox said. “I fully understand the consequences, and I want to apologise to everyone. I’m gutted to be missing the next match and feel like I have let the team down.”
Jordan Cox, Kent's 19-year-old opening batsman, finishes on 238*.
He put on a staggering unbeaten 423-run stand for the second wicket with Jack Leaning, who also finished with a double-hundred.#BobWillisTrophy pic.twitter.com/x11HLxPnd6
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) August 10, 2020
Kent’s director of cricket, Paul Downton said: “It is unfortunate for Jordan that on the back of an outstanding performance, our team medical protocols were breached.
“We take these protocols very seriously and Jordan has no choice but to go into self-isolation.”
