27 November 2021 05:00 pm
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2021 match between Sri Lanka and West Indies was cancelled today after an outbreak of Covid-19 in the Sri Lankan camp, with the ICC abandoning the tournament in Zimbabwe altogether.
The ICC called off the tournament, which was to decide the three final spots for the Women’s World Cup, after concerns over the Covid-19 variant that has surfaced in the African continent.
With the abandonment, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the West Indies qualified for the Women’s World Cup, as the three highest ranked teams, with Sri Lanka missing out.
"Both teams had reached at the ground and players were training before the match", a source in Harare confirmed, about the cancelled match.
However, after it was brought to the attention of the West Indies team management that there were seven cases of Covid-19 in the Sri Lankan camp, they asked for the match to be called off.
According to the sources, two more players Ama Kanchana and Sugandhika Kumari tested positive.
Also, Indrani Ariyaratne, who was a team manager on earlier occasions and is now touring with the team as a Chaperone, was also found Covid positive in the antigen tests.
The total squad of 17 players and 11 support staff members are isolated.
Efforts are being made to send the non-Covid positive players and support staff to fly out to Sri Lanka at the earliest and may be on Sunday.
The team doctor Matheesa de Silva is likely to return with the remaining players and the Chaperlon when they are safe to travel.
The players, who are Covid positive but have no major symptoms are vice-captain Harshitha Madavi, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nisansala, Kaveesha Dilhari, Ama and Sugandhika.
(Bipin Dani)