JOHANNESBURG - India’s tour to Zimbabwe in August has been postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
India were due to play Sri Lanka at the end of June in three One-Day Internationals and three T20Is, and travel to Zimbabwe in late August for a three-ODI series. There is currently no confirmed rescheduled date for either of these tours.
International cricket is set to resume on July 8, when England and West Indies begin their three-match Test series in the UK.
Still on the horizon, potentially, for Zimbabwe is Afghanistan touring the African nation in July. But with the India tour suspension, it places the Afghanistan limited-overs series in serious doubt.
Zimbabwe Cricket, however, will be forced to proceed under the presumption competition will resume as scheduled.
ZC Media and Communications Officer, Darlington Majonga, was quoted as saying on allafrica.com: “In preparation for those potential tours, a squad of 33 players has been drafted and only those who get the all-clear after undergoing the Covid-19 tests will officially start training on Monday.
"The players will be split into small groups of not more than eight and they will practise in their respective provinces, starting with strength and conditioning sessions for the first three weeks before focusing on cricket-specific skills training.
High on the agenda will be the sanitising of the field of play, training venues, changerooms, equipment and cricket balls.
Anyone entering a cricket venue will have their temperature checked, and if a fever is suspected immediate mandatory Covid-19 testing will be required.
All players and staff, and ZC employees will be required to wear face masks and be supplied with sanitising products to maintain strict hygiene standards.