Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) director, Hamilton Masakadza. File photo
from WELLINGTON TONI in Harare, Zimbabwe
HARARE, (CAJ News) – THE Zimbabwe cricket season is the latest sport to be forced into an abrupt end by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and subsequent lockdowns.
ZIMBABWE Cricket (ZC), the mother body, confirmed the premature end.
“We were looking forward to the conclusion of our season but seeing what is happening in our country and elsewhere across the world, we realised it was not realistic for us to expect our competitions to resume anytime soon,” Hamilton Masakadza, the ZC Director of Cricket, said.
The decision results in the end of first-class competitions, the Logan
Cup, the List A contest and the Pro50 Championship.
“ZC, therefore, decided to void the 2019/20 season with immediate effect and we will not declare a winner or award any of the trophies as teams had not played an equal number of games when the season was curtailed,” Masakadza said.
The premier domestic competitions were originally supposed to be
completed by the end of April.
Local football authorities are holding on for the start of the elite
league, hopefully in August.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is awaiting directives from the
government, Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA), the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the world football governing body, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Many leagues across the globe have ground to a halt as a result of
COVID-19 and lockdowns.
International global competitions including the Olympics have been
called off.
Zimbabwe has confirmed 34 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths.
– CAJ News