India tour to Mzansi still on

South African cricket breathed a collective sigh of relief following confirmation that the Indian team would undertake its tour to the country later this month.

Sure, the for T20 matches were postponed, the schedule will have to be rejigged again because of Covid, and crowds may not be allowed, but if India hadn’t toured at all the fallout for Cricket SA and the sport as a whole in the country would have been catastrophic.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, through its secretary, Jay Shah confirmed on Saturday that the tour would go ahead.

It would start a week later than originally scheduled, but Cricket SA are happy to accept that, and the fact that the tour would have to take place according to strict Covid-19 protocols in a bio-secure environment.

What that will mean for spectators will be decided over the next couple of days. The first Test was originally scheduled to start at the Wanderers on December 17, with Cricket SA hoping that it would be able to have up to 2 000 spectators in attendance and even have that increased by the time of the third Test, which had been scheduled for Newlands, with 50 percent of capacity allowed.

The rapid escalation of Covid-19 cases, driven by the new variant Omicron, particularly in Gauteng, is likely to curtail those plans.

The four T20 Internationals, which were due to take place in Cape Town and Paarl in January, will be played later in 2022.

IOL Sport