Cricket Australia takes BCCI, CWI route; suspends upcoming tours and matches

After Board of Control for Cricket in India and Cricket West Indies, Cricket Australia (CA) too has announced the suspension of all their domestic matches in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus, which blossomed from China has taken the whole world by storm and has even forced some European countries to shut down.

While the final round of the Sheffield Shield season has been cancelled in an effort to reduce travel, the Australian U-19’s tour of South Africa for the Women’s Emerging Tri-Series was called off which included England Women Academy as the third team. Earlier, Australian women’s tour of South Africa has been postponed due to the same along with Australia U-19 Indigenous team’s T20 tour of New Zealand which was scheduled for later this month.

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CA CEO Kevin Roberts said the measures were appropriate given the current global health crisis. “At times like this, cricket must take a back seat for the greater good,” Roberts said. “We have been in consultation with relevant government agencies, our own medical team and an infectious diseases expert for quite some time now, and we have taken all their advice into account in making these decisions.

“In recent days, it has become evident that we must play our part in helping limit the spread of the virus by reducing person-to-person contact wherever possible. These measures reflect that. The decisions made this week are not something we are accustomed to in cricket. But by making them, we hope we can contribute to the global effort to slow, and eventually stop, the spread of coronavirus.”