India’s tour of South Africa to be behind closed doors

JOHANNESBURG: No tickets will be sold to the general public for the forthcoming Test and ODI series between South Africa and India because rising Covid cases, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Monday.

CSA said in a statement that a joint decision had been taken with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to bar spectators from the grounds in order to prevent any possible breaches of the bio-secure environment in which the matches will be played. The first of three Tests starts in Centurion on Sunday. The second Test will be played in Johannesburg from January 3-7 while the final Test will be held in Cape Town from January 11-15. They will be followed by three ODIS, which will be played in Paarl and Cape Town on January 19, 21 and 23.

The statement cited the increasing number of Covid-19 cases around the world and the current fourth wave of infections in South Africa for the decision.

“This decision was taken in order to avoid any breaches that could compromise the tour from a Covid-risk perspective and to also maintain a hazard-free bubble environment.”

The statement did not mention whether there had been consultations with the South African government. Current regulations allow outdoor gatherings of 2000 people. South Africa, where the highly mutated Omicron variant was first detected, is Africa’s worst-hit country according to official tallies of virus cases, with more than 3.3 million infections and more than 90,000 deaths.

CSA’S acting chief executive Pholetsi Moseki said: “This decision was not taken lightly but was instead taken in the best interest of the game and in the interest of the health and safety of all patrons.”

There was uncertainty earlier of the India series even going ahead due to the Omicron variant, but the two cricket boards came to an agreement to truncate the series and defer its start by a little more than a week to allow for “effective logistical planning”. The Test series was initially slated to start on December 17 but was postponed to December 26 with a fourmatch T20 series being called off for the time being. India A had toured South Africa for three four-day matches that concluded earlier this month, with the series being held under the strictest of bubbles to ensure that there were no hiccups.

Earlier on Monday, CSA also announced that the Mzansi Super League Twenty20 tournament, planned for February, had been cancelled due to increased travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament, which was originally planned as South Africa’s equivalent of the Indian Premier League and Australia’s Big Bash League, was also cancelled because of Covid last season after only two editions. On Sunday, CSA had also postponed the remaining round of the four-day franchise series, the country’s premier domestic competition, as a precautionary measure over Covid-19 fears. The postponed matches, including round four, will be rescheduled to January.