Remaining Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ODIs and Australia's T20I tour of New Zealand postponed

Kane Williamson and Aaron Finch
Kane Williamson and Aaron Finch

The ongoing Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ODI series and Australia's upcoming three-match T20I tour of New Zealand have been postponed due to the rising coronavirus concerns. Earlier, it was announced by Cricket Australia (CA) that the three-match ODI series which began on Friday (March 13th) at the Sydney Cricket Ground will be played behind the closed doors amid growing COVID-19 concerns.

The hosts won the toss in the opener and opted to bat first before posting 258-7 in 50 overs with half-centuries from David Warner, Aaron Finch and Marnus Labuschagne. Chasing 259 in their quest to take a 1-0 lead, Kane Williamson's men were bundled out for just 187 runs in 41 overs as Pat Cummins and Mitchell Marsh scalped three wickets each.

The next two ODIs were scheduled on March 15th at Sydney and March 20th at Hobart. The upcoming T20Is were set to begin from March 24th at Dunedin followed by the remaining two fixtures at Auckland (March 27th) and Christchurch (March 29th).

Initially, the next two ODIs were also expected to be played without spectators in the stadium. Now, however, both the prestigious Chappell-Hadlee Trophy and the upcoming T20Is between the neighbours had to be postponed in the wake of the Covid- 19 outbreak.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Government has enforced a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period for anyone who enters the Country from Australia after Sunday. This has prompted New Zealand Cricket to bring their players back home before any other restriction is imposed.

Pacer Kane Richardson who was replaced by Sean Abbott in the Australian squad had to miss the first ODI as he underwent a test for the coronavirus which was later revealed to be negative.

Several major sporting events across the globe are being postponed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. On Friday, the England Cricket Board (ECB) postponed England's tour of Sri Lanka. It was also announced that the remainder of ODI series between South Africa and India will also be held later. The 2020 Indian Premier League season has been postponed until April 15th as of now. The tournament was initially slated to begin on March 29th.

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Edited by A. Ayush Chatterjee