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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Cricket acting managing director, Givemore Makoni yesterday said players’ health and safety should always come first following the postponement of Ireland’s scheduled tour of Zimbabwe.
The Irish were expected in Zimbabwe early next month for a six-match series that included three One Day Internationals and as many T20Is at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
The tour becomes the latest victim of the coronavirus pandemic which has wreaked havoc in global sport.
New dates for the series will be announced in due course.
A joint statement from the two cricket boards said it was mutually agreed to shelve the tour in light of the rising cases of coronavirus across the globe and the risks associated with global travel at the moment.
“Zimbabwe Cricket and Cricket Ireland have today agreed to postpone the planned six-match men’s series between the two sides scheduled to be played in Zimbabwe next month,” said the statement.
“While there are no current Irish government travel restrictions or prohibitions relating to Zimbabwe, the two governing bodies believed the risk posed by travel and the fast-changing nature of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic required a prudent and safety-first approach to protect the health of players, coaching staff and fans.”
The latest development comes just after English county cricket sides, Derbyshire and Durham, returned home yesterday after cutting short their pre-season training camps in Zimbabwe.
This was a big blow for the Bulawayo cricket fans who were looking forward to watching international cricket for the first time since July 2018.
“We were looking forward to hosting Ireland in Bulawayo next month, but with the world in the throes of a public health emergency on a scale not witnessed in over a century, postponing the tour was the only reasonable decision,” said Makoni.
The series was scheduled to start with the T20Is on April 2, 4 and 5, while the ODIs were pencilled in for April 8, 10 and 12.
“Indeed, the mutually agreed decision to postpone the series is the right thing to do, given the worsening coronavirus pandemic and the overwhelming priority to safeguard the players, fans and the entire cricket community. “We are looking to reschedule the tour once the pandemic has been brought under control,” added Makoni.
Ireland last visited Zimbabwe for the unsuccessful 2018 World Cup Qualifier.
Before that, the last time that the two sides clashed in Zimbabwe in October 2015, the hosts won the ODI series 2-1 in Harare.
However, when Ireland hosted Zimbabwe in July last year, they whitewashed the Chevrons in the ODI series, while the T20I series ended in a 1-1 tie.
Ireland have been grappling to control the spread of coronavirus in their country and have been taking all the safety measures. There have been 169 cases of Covid-19 in the Irish Republic with two people dead from the disease.
According to the Irish Mirror, these numbers are expected to rocket in the coming days, as GPs get better access to tests and the threshold for testing drops.
Cricket Ireland chief executive, Warren Deutrom, said postponing the tour was the most sensible decision to take since the health authorities had advised against unnecessary trips and big gatherings.
As part of a cocktail of preventive measures, Cricket Ireland have also shut their offices and stopped all training sessions led by Cricket Ireland coaching staff until March 29.
“This is the only reasonable decision in the circumstances, as we all play our part in containing the spread of COVID-19.
“We have taken the advice of Irish and British governments, as well as relevant health and sports bodies, and will take a safety-first approach to our operations over the coming weeks and months.
“Apart from the players and coaches, it is the families and social circles that we are conscious of, and to tour at this point would cause unnecessary risk to the wider community.
“We pass on our thanks to Givemore and all of Zimbabwe Cricket for so readily agreeing with this position, and we shall work with Zimbabwe Cricket to seek a new date for the tour when we are all in a position to plan for the future with greater certainty,” said Deutrom.
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