NEW DELHI: The remaining two ODIs between India and South Africa in Lucknow and Calcutta have been called off amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) along with Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Friday has decided to reschedule the ongoing ODI series in view of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Cricket South Africa will visit India at a later date to play 3 One-day Internationals. The BCCI-CSA will jointly work out the revised schedule,” the BCCI said on their website.
After the first game at Dharamshala was washed out on Thursday, the BCCI had decided to go ahead with the series in spite of the rising Coronavirus concerns. It was decided the spectators will not be allowed for the matches at Lucknow and Kolkata (March 18).
But the BCCI had finally decided to call off the series against the Proteas.
“With the IPL being postponed, it only made sense that at this point of time, this series is also called off. The country is facing a serious pandemic,” news agency PTI quoted a top BCCI official as saying.
As of 6 PM on Friday, a total of 81 people had tested positive for coronavirus in India.
This is now the second international series to be called off as Covid-19 fear gripped the world.
England’s tour of Sri Lanka was called off and the players were asked to return home instead of playing the two Test matches.
The South Africans will now fly home from Delhi, where they had arrived via Dubai on March 9.
“The South African team will come to Delhi and leave by taking at the earliest available flight,” said a statement.
