Breaking: India vs South Africa ODI Series Called Off

The coronavirus pandemic has accounted for yet another cricket series as the ongoing ODI series between India and South Africa has been called off. It was first decided that the remaining two games of the series will be played behind closed doors and fans would not be allowed inside the stadium.

However, the BCCI has now decided to entirely call off the series, keeping in mind the seriousness of the situation. The first match of the series in Dharamsala was abandoned without a ball being bowled. The next two matches were scheduled to be played in Lucknow and Kolkata on March 12 and 15 respectively.

On Thursday, a woman was tested positive for coronavirus in Lucknow. It was the eleventh case in Uttar Pradesh. But the Indian players still arrived in Lucknow on Friday before the BCCI decided to call off the series, according to PTI. The series against South Africa was set to be India’s last international assignment before the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The outbreak has started taking a toll on cricket. Earlier in the day, the Indian Premier League was postponed until April 15. The thirteenth edition of the league was set to get underway on March 29 in Mumbai. England’s upcoming two-match Test series in Sri Lanka has been called off too.

The Road Safety World Series was recently called off too. On the other hand, the Australia-New Zealand ODI series are being played behind closed doors. In addition to the aforementioned series and tournaments, a number of other competitions have been postponed or cancelled too.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to continue the Pakistan Super League but a number of overseas have already left the tournament. The PCB later announced that they have cut short the competition and it would now end on March 18 instead of March 23.

Also Read: Without “Kohli-Kohli, Dhoni-Dhoni” Chants, IPL Would Become Dull: Virender Sehwag