Unaware of any possible postponement of the India tour: CSA chairperson Naidoo

Cricket South Africa (CSA) chairperson Lawson Naidoo on Friday said that he was "unaware" of any possible postponement of the upcoming India team tour.

He added that the CSA is engaging with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to make the tour happen and that any changes to the schedule will be deliberated over by the two boards.

India was supposed to leave for South Africa on December 8 or 9, after the conclusion of the second Test against New Zealand in Mumbai for an all-format tour featuring three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is from December 17 to January 26.

But with the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus in South Africa, the tour is now in uncertainty with reports of postponement or reduction in number of Test matches from three to two doing the rounds.

Currently, the India 'A' team is playing its second of three four-day matches against South Africa 'A' in Bloemfontein.

"We are unaware of any possible postponement of the Indian cricket tour to South Africa. We are engaging with the BCCI to ensure that the tour does go ahead. Any changes to the schedule will be discussed by the two boards. We are in regular contact with the BCCI with a view to ensuring that the tour can take place in an environment that is safe for all the players and officials," Naidoo told IANS over e-mail.

The CSA chairperson underscored the financial importance of the India tour. "A tour by India to any country is a great financial boost to the host country. The England and Australian fixtures have been rearranged for the coming years so the financial impact will ultimately be negligible," he said.

Naidoo further gave a lowdown on what will be the already agreed bio-secure measures for the Indian team when they come down to South Africa while giving reference of hosting Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

"It was always planned that the games would be played within a BSE (bio-secure environment) set-up, the same measures that were put in place to ensure that the tours by Sri Lanka and Pakistan went off without a hitch earlier this year. The Indian team are due to travel by chartered plane to ensure their travel safety. A chartered plane will convey them to and from South Africa. Hotels have all been adequately protected with full Covid protocols in place."

Asked on the postponement of the latest round of matches in division two of South Africa's four-day provincial competition due to COVID-19 on Thursday, Naidoo pointed out that the teams were not staying in a bio-secure environment.

"It must be noted that these domestic games have not been played within a bio-secure bubble, and once some players had tested positive for the virus, we acted to postpone the games to safeguard the players and officials."

With South Africa seeing a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, doubts have been raised over fans entering the stadium when the series will be on.

Talking about the same, Naidoo said, "In terms of current regulations, 2,000 spectators are permitted at games in South Africa."