No compromises on safety for South Africa tour: Cricket Australia
Dec 20, 2020
Melbourne [Australia], December 20 : Cricket Australia Chairman Earl Eddings said that they are closely monitoring the situation and no compromises will be made on the safety of players and staff for the team's Test tour to South Africa next year.
South Africa are scheduled to host Australia for a three-match series as part of the World Test Championship between February 14 and March 13, 2021.
On Friday, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced that two members of the Proteas squad have tested positive for coronavirus, ahead of the team's entry into the bio-secure environment for the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Earlier, the England tour was forced to be abandoned due to problems around the integrity of the biosecurity bubble the tourists and home side were embedded in for white-ball matches.
"We're watching very closely and we want to be playing South Africa in South Africa. First, because we want to play them and secondly because it's great for the growth of the game. But the safety and welfare of our players and staff is paramount, and we'll work out what the scenarios are," ESPNcricinfo quoted Eddings as saying.
"South African cricket is also in a bit of flux at the moment, so trying to work out who the best people are to be talking to. While we want to play there as much as we can, I'm not going to be compromising the safety of our players and staff. Our intention is to tour," he added.
Eddings acknowledged the added complexities of the South Africa tour being discussed at a time of significant unrest within CSA.
"Trying to find the best person [to speak to] is difficult, and we've got to be respectful because they're going through a difficult time and their own challenges. As things start settling down again and we get closer to the tour we'll have some more formal discussions. We'll see how that plays out over the next few weeks," he said.
