Zimbabwe-Afghanistan T20I series called off

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has called off the five-match Twenty20 international series against Afghanistan scheduled to be played in Harare in August due to the additional measures put in place by the Government to curb the spread of COVID-19.

ZC had applied for a waiver to proceed with the series in a strictly controlled environment, but with Zimbabwe experiencing a spike in the number of coronavirus cases, the Government advised through the Sports and Recreation Commission that the country was not ready as yet to host visiting teams.

“We were keen to see the imminent and safe return of cricket, but we understand the Government’s health concerns and accept that cancelling the proposed tour is sensible and in the best interest of players, match officials, volunteers, service providers, fans and the wider community,” ZC Acting Managing Director Givemore Makoni said.

Things had looked positive just over a month ago when Zimbabwe seemed to have the situation under control so much so that the players had been allowed to start training. A recent spike in cases and fatalities, however, has now seen the government roll back with curfews and restrictions under and an indefinite lockdown.

For the players it might mean that there is no international cricket for the rest of 2020 unless something dramatic comes up, this in a year that had promised so much action.