New Zealand Cricket has canned one tour and expects more to follow as the Covid-19 pandemic bites deeper into the world sporting calendar.
NZC chief executive David White on Friday confirmed the postponement of the White Ferns’ tour of Sri Lanka, scheduled to start later this month, and said it was “most unlikely” the Black Caps would proceed with their tours of Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and West Indies planned for June and July.
White said there were obvious question marks over the Black Caps’ visit to Bangladesh, and the New Zealand A tour to India, both scheduled to start in August, but it was too early to categorically rule them out.
The White Ferns’ last assignment was the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia where they missed the playoffs, while the Black Caps lost the first one-day international against Australia in Sydney on March 13 before the final two matches, and the three home Twenty20 internationals against Australia, were all postponed.
“Clearly, this situation is extremely disappointing for everyone involved in sport but, given the bigger picture, and the terrible toll Covid-19 is taking worldwide, we need to look after not only our own people but the greater community good,” White said in a statement.
