Cricket Australia To Reschedule South Africa Tour As Soon As Possible

Cricket Australia are pulling all the stops to reschedule their tour of South Africa as soon as possible after cancelling it. However, it would depend on the health situation and the calendar, according to Cricket Australia’s Interim CEO Nick Hockley. South Africa and Australia had three Tests scheduled in February and March, which the latter called off due to the uncertain situation of COVID-19 in the nation.

Cricket South Africa director Graeme Smith launched scathing criticism on their counterparts for calling off the visit, claiming that they made all the possible provisions and created all prevention protocols. Graeme Smith also lodged a complaint with the ICC against Cricket Australia and stated that smaller member nations should also have their fair share of Test tours against the ‘Big Three’ of India, Australia, and England.

Last year, Australia also cancelled a two-Test tour of Bangladesh alongside a couple of white-ball visits to Zimbabwe and New Zealand due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Cricket Australia discarded a one-off home Test against Afghanistan and a home T20 rubber against the West Indies as part of the preparation for the T20 World Cup down under, which also stands postponed to 2022 now.

We’re right in the middle of constructive discussions: Cricket Australia CEO

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley underlined that they want to reschedule their tour of South Africa as soon as possible, keeping in mind the safety and the available window. Hockley understands that the pandemic has forced plenty of rescheduling; however, they are in the middle of some constructive discussions and hopes it to resolve soon.

“We would like to reschedule it as soon as possible, providing it is safe to do so, and there is time available in the calendar. Now, that’s not a simple task. Through the pandemic and quarantine periods, there is a lot of cricket that has been rescheduled. But we’re right in the middle of constructive discussions and hopefully those discussions will be resolved soon,” Hockley said as quoted by Times of India.

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