The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Thursday decided to go ahead with the upcoming South Africa tour amid the Covid-19 scare in the host nation, Cricket Age reliably learns. The decision was taken after the consultation with Sri Lanka’s high commissioner and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka are due to play South Africa in two Tests forming the ICC World Test Championship at Centurion from 26-30 December and at Johannesburg from 3-7 January. The team is due to leave for South Africa on the morning of 18 December at the end of the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) taking place at Hambantota.
“Both Honorable Sports Minister and high commissioner were on the opinion that we must go ahead with the tour, taking all the precautions. We even offered South Africa to come to Sri Lanka and play the series, but they refused” a top SLC official told Cricket Age.
On December 7, England’s tour of South Africa was called off following the outbreak of Covid-19 among both teams’ camps and staff at their hotel. The decision came after the opening ODI of the series was pushed back three times in four days, having originally been scheduled to take place at Newlands on Friday, before failed attempts to stage games at Paarl on Sunday, and at Newlands again on Monday.
“We are sending two doctors before the scheduled departure of the national team to assess the arrangements” the top SLC official added.
Following the cancellation of the ODI leg of England’s tour of South Africa due to issues related to Covid-19, in another significant development on Thursday, Cricket South Africa (CSA) showed the confidence in its COVID-19 protocols despite the postponement of the ODI series against England, with interim board chairman Zak Yacoob describing the tourists as having a negative attitude.
Yacoob said the postponement of the three match series, at England’s request, had caused CSA reputational damage and warned the body would defend itself against “lies” as to the reasons behind the cancellation.
“The fact is that they (the England team) were very negative,” Yacoob said on Thursday, referring to the tourists’ attitude.
“We have gone into our protocols and we think they have been very good. There may have been an issue of psychological troubles, where people (in the England team) may have been nervous about false positives.
“We do not wish to blame the English, but we wish to say absolutely that any notion that they went away because there was a fault on our side is completely wrong.
“In fact, we were too lax with their desire to do things which in our strict view they should not be doing (such as allowing players to golf). If they say lies about us, we will defend ourselves.”
England’s summer of cricket went off without a hitch with the players kept in tight bio-secure bubbles.
In South Africa, the players were allowed out of their hotel to play golf, at the request of the ECB, due to fears that another month cooped up would have a negative effect on their mental health.
Yacoob also said that he is 100% sure the Sri Lanka series will go ahead, but adds it is less clear when it comes to Australia.
“My understanding of cricket politics is that the three most powerful nations, Australia and England, and you know who the third one is (India), want to do things their way and want to ensure the less powerful nations play ball with them,” he said.
“So it depends on what Australia thinks is in its political interest at the time, based on what has happened with England.
“Australia are a powerhouse in cricket, and those types of people are usually a law unto themselves.”
