Ahead of India’s series against the Proteas next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Friday that they are monitoring the situation in different parts of their country and will keep the Board of Control for Cricket with them. India (BCCI) informed about the development amidst fears of a new variant of Kovid-19 spreading in the country.
The new COVID-19 variant is creating panic across the world and it also made its presence felt in South Africa this week. The fourth wave of the pandemic is also expected to peak in South Africa in the next few weeks and will coincide with the packed summer cricket schedule.
The Indian men’s cricket team, which earlier this year refused to play a Test in Manchester due to fears related to COVID-19, will play three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is at four venues – Johannesburg, Centurion – from mid-December. are to play. , Paarl, and Cape Town.
Cases are on the rise in the northern part of the country and some places for Test series may be vulnerable to the spread of the new variant.
“We are in touch with the BCCI and there is no bias on the Indian tour of South Africa at this stage. Of course, we will continue to monitor developments regarding the spread of the virus and keep the BCCI informed. As CSA we are committed to ensuring that all visiting teams and Proteas players have a safe environment to play cricket,” CSA chief Lawson Naidu told Cricbuzz on Friday evening.
Notably, the Indian men’s ‘A’ team is also currently in South Africa, playing the first four-day game in Bloemfontein which ended in a draw today. The team is scheduled to play two- and four-day matches which will start from November 29 and December 6.
The visiting team, currently based in Bloemfontein, has had several meetings with CSA officials and the local medical team and has decided to complete the three-match series.
“The distance between the two places is over 1000 miles and we have been told that there is no immediate health threat. We have discussed with the CSA officials and the medical team. The team hotel and ground area have been sanitized and we are in a bio-bubble,” said team manager Anil Patel.
“At this stage, we have decided to stay on,” he said.
The India A team has also held talks with the BCCI officials. Two new members Deepak Chahar and Ishan Kishan joined the team on Thursday and the team will leave for India on December 10.
Earlier, the Indian government on Thursday asked all states and union territories to be vigilant about international travelers traveling to or through Botswana, South Africa and Hong Kong in view of a new COVID-19 variant detected in South Africa. .
In a letter to the states, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, “It has now been reported by NCDC that there have been several cases of Botswana (three), South Africa (six) and one COVID-19 variant – 8.1.1529. Hong Kong (a). This variant is reported to have a significantly higher number of mutations, and thus has serious public health implications for the country in view of the recently relaxed visa restrictions and opening up of international travel.
“It is imperative that all international travelers traveling to and transiting from these countries and all other ‘at risk’ countries, including those from countries, are subject to rigorous screening and testing. The contacts of these international passengers should also be closely tracked and tested.
International cricket in South Africa was also heavily disrupted last year due to the pandemic. England skipped a tour without playing an ODI series after positive cases were reported in the South African camp and Australia did not travel to play a three-match Test series that cost CSA millions.
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