JUST IN: Australia pull out of South Africa cricket Test tour over coronavirus
The Australians feel it is not safe to travel to South Africa, saying it is an "unacceptable" risk.
The Australian cricket team have cancelled a Test tour of South Africa. Picture: Getty Images
Australia announced on Tuesday that they will no longer tour to South Africa for a Test series because of fears around the coronavirus.
They said the decision to pull out of the tour was due to the “unacceptable” risk for players, with coronavirus rampant in South Africa.
“It has become clear that travelling from Australia to South Africa at this current time poses an unacceptable level of health and safety risk to our players, support staff and the community,” said Cricket Australia interim chief Nick Hockley.
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Australia were due to play three Tests in South Africa.
The tour was originally scheduled for February and March, but the dates had yet to be locked in due to concerns over Covid-19.
The South African cricket team, the Proteas, are currently on tour in Pakistan, where the second Test starts in Rawalpindi on Thursday. The tourists lost the first Test in Karachi by seven wickets.
The recent tour to South Africa by England ended early after a Covid-19 outbreak in the England squad. While the teams faced off in a T20 series, the One Day International matches were cancelled in early December.
Sri Lanka, however, toured South Africa over the festive period and played against the Proteas in two Tests.
While South Africa was recently in the grip of a second wave of Covid-19 infections, the government on Monday eased certain restrictions following the down-turn in the number of positive cases in the country.
More to follow …
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