ICC ‘incredibly disappointed’ to cancel women’s WC qualifiers in Zimbabwe amid Omicron variant concerns

The ICC took the decision to cancel the rest of the women's World Cup qualifiers after a member of the Sri Lankan support staff tested positive for COVID-19.

Detection of the new coronavirus variant in South Africa forced a number of countries to tighten border controls (Reuters Photo)
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday confirmed the cancellation of the remainder of the women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe amid growing fears about the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 discovered in South Africa this week.

The ICC took the decision after Saturday’s game between the West Indies and Sri Lanka was called off after a member of the Sri Lankan support staff tested positive for COVID-19.

“We are incredibly disappointed to have to cancel the remainder of this event,” Chris Tetley, the ICC Head of Events, said in a statement.

“But with travel restrictions from a number of African countries being imposed at such short notice, there was a serious risk that teams would be unable to return home.”

Bangladesh, Pakistan and the West Indies will progress to the World Cup in New Zealand by virtue of their rankings, the ICC said.

Meanwhile, South Africa and the Netherlands have decided to postpone the final two ODIs of their 3-match series in Centurion after concerns emerged over the emergence of a new COVID variant in the country.

The two teams played in the first ODI of the series in Centurion but the second and the third matches, scheduled to take place at the same venue won’t go ahead. The two matches were set to take place on 28 November (Monday) and 1 December (Wednesday).

“CSA and KNCB will get into discussions around possibly rescheduling the tour within this cycle of the ICC Future Tours Programme ending in 2023,” he added.

Post published in: Cricket

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