Coronavirus Pandemic: New South Wales Crowned Champions Of Sheffield Shield Without Even Playing The Final

The outbreak of the deadly virus — Coronavirus has taken a toll on everybody across the globe. So much so, it has affected the sports landscape to a great extent. Another game which was scrapped was the Sheffield Shield final between New South Wales and Victoria as the former were crowned the champions.

Cricket Australia had already cancelled the last round of Australia’s domestic first-class season, leaving NSW top of the standings.

Having played the first game of the ODI series behind closed doors, Australia-New Zealand series was suspended on Saturday.

Australia won the first ODI by 71 at the spectator-less Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Friday.

The other two matches in the series were supposed to be the same. But the Kiwi government changed the circumstances. The rule would take effect from midnight on Sunday.

New South Wales Named Sheffield Shield Champions

New South Wales have been named Australia’s Sheffield Shield champions for the first time in six years after the competition’s final was called off due to the coronavirus, governing body Cricket Australia (CA) said on Tuesday.

The Sheffield Shield Final has been cancelled meaning NSW have been declared champions.

This is absolutely not the way we wanted to win it, but we are so immensely proud of our players, coaches and staff who had a tremendous season.https://t.co/rC5SEUlYZS

— NSW Blues (@CricketNSWBlues) March 17, 2020

CA also recommended that all cricket played “within the community” is ceased for the remainder of the 2019/20 season in response to the pandemic.

The statement from the CA revealed that board will give their best in a bid to contribute by slowing down the spread of the contagious.

“Based on expert advice from CA’s Chief Medical Officer John Orchard and recent government information we want to ensure that cricket is doing everything it can to contribute to the global effort to slow, and eventually stop, the spread of coronavirus,” CA said in a statement.

Cricket World Faces The Wrath Of Coronavirus Pandemic

Apart from the Australia-New Zealand ODI and T20 series, the IPL 2020 has been postponed till April 15 due to the coronavirus spread across the country.

To the disappointment of the cricket fans, the India-South Africa ODI series has also been called off.

Apart from it, the Road Safety World Series has also been suspended. The England-Sri Lanka Test series was also called-off.

All the English players playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have been called back immediately and the tournament has somewhat lose the sheen in between.

Also Read: CSA Suspends All Forms Of Cricket With Immediate Effect For 60 Days Amid COVID-19