Cricket South Africa announces postponement of domestic fixtures as players test positive for COVID-19

The BCCI will soon make a decision on the tour, which is set to begin on December 17 with the first Test in Johannesburg.

Temba Bavuma has been awfully out of form (image credits Twitter/ICC)
By Nilavro Ghosh | Dec 2, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Cricket South Africa has postponed a round of domestic games after some team members tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival, raising new concerns for the upcoming India tour. The BCCI will soon make a decision on the tour, which is now set to begin on December 17 with the first Test in Johannesburg. The discovery of a new COVID-19 variant omicron in South Africa has sparked global concern and cast a pall over the India series.

“Cricket South Africa can confirm that all three, Round 4, Division Two CSA 4-Day Domestic Series matches scheduled to take place between 02-05 December have been postponed,” the board said in a statement.

“The competition is not being held in a Bio-Secure Environment (BSE) and in the last couple of days, some positive COVID-19 test results have emerged following team pre-arrival testing sessions. Activating the precautionary and preventative measures stipulated in the organisation’s COVID-19 protocols to ensure the health, safety and well-being of all involved is a top priority for CSA,” the statement added.

If the India series is held, it will be held in a bio-secure environment, it also mentioned. “CSA is monitoring the situation closely and a decision regarding the remainder of the fixtures this year will be made in due course as it develops. In addition, the CSA B-section 3-Day and 1-Day matches featuring Northerns and Easterns set for the same weekend have also been postponed until 2022,” it added.

INDIA FACE NEW ZEALAND IN SERIES-DECIDER ON FRIDAY

India is currently facing New Zealand in a two-match Test series. The team might not have lost the first of the two-Test matches against New Zealand, but it sure felt like a defeat. India only needed one wicket to win the match at the end but a resilient partnership between Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra denied the hosts what would have been an outstanding victory. The Kiwis will be in good spirits going into the second and final Test match on Friday as they earned a commendable draw from the clutches of defeat. 

However, there will be a few concerns regarding the middle order. For India, there does not seem to be any immediate worry. Almost all of the players had a decent performance in the first Test and they will be hoping to win the upcoming match and the series. A good thing for the hosts will be that their skipper Virat Kohli will be back for the match. It will be interesting to see who will miss out to accommodate Kohli in the starting line-up.

Despite being so close to victory, India failed to defeat New Zealand in the first Test. The Indian team will now try to win the second Test in order to win the series. Virat Kohli will return to the team and take the captaincy. Shreyas Iyer has been in excellent form for India, and Shubman Gill has also been impressive with the bat. Spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel bowled admirably in the first Test between India and New Zealand.

India currently sit third in the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship points table. India have won two matches, lost one, and drawn two others. As a result, India has a PCT of 50.0. If they defeat New Zealand in the series, they may be able to move up the points table.





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