Cricket South Africa is awaiting approval from government to return to action with a special Proteas fundraiser match by the end of the month.
The governing body is optimistic about receiving the go-ahead from the Department of Sport, with a trial match at SuperSport Park on Saturday, 27 June on the agenda.
Three different Proteas teams will line up against each other in a different format with SuperSport set to broadcast all the action live, while no spectators will be allowed to attend.
CSA delighted with government ruling
The Citizen received conformation from CSA acting CEO Jacques Faul that they are confident of their chances, having submitted health guidelines to the department to ensure a safe return for the game.
‘It’s in the hands of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, but they have been good with us. So, hopefully we’ll be playing again at the end of June and we’ll start with the Proteas players, for obvious reasons.
‘It’s going to be a fundraiser with an exciting new format, sadly without spectators, but SuperSport will be broadcasting it live,’ said Faul.
The Proteas haven’t played any cricket since the final ODI against Australia at the beginning of March after their follow-up tour of India was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Locally, the Momentum One Cup and the 4-Day Franchise Series were also abandoned before completion with CSA announcing the Dolphins and Lions as respective winners.
An optimistic Dr Shuaib Manjra, CSA chief medical officer, also told the Citizen that they are ready to continue with cricket in a safe environment.
CSA ready to create bio-secure environment
‘The players will get in three days before and be kept in a sanitised eco-system, at the hotel, when they travel and at the stadium. We will test the players before they get to Centurion and again five days afterwards in order to get rid of any false negatives.
‘On average it takes five days from infection for someone to test positive. In the stadium, everyone will wear masks and doors will be kept open along with other safety measures,’ said Dr Manjra.
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