Road Safety World Series 2020 called off due to coronavirus outbreak

The Road Safety World Series featuring legendary cricketers has been called off for time being due to the rising coronavirus threat in Maharashtra.

The tournament featuring legendary cricketers from five nations - India, Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa and West Indies kicked off on March 7th at the Wankhede Stadium with the Sachin Tendulkar-led India Legends taking on the Brian Lara-led West Indies Legends. Only four games have been played so far (two each at the Wankhede Stadium and Dr DY Patil Stadium) in the series was scheduled to run until March 22nd.

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While it was announced on Wednesday that the remaining fixtures would be played behind the closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak in Maharashtra (the state reported 10 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday), the organisers who felt that it was not apt to go ahead with the planned matches as of now to prevent any further scope of large gatherings have now decided to call off the tournament for time being keeping in mind the safety of the players and the public.

After a meeting with the players, it has been decided to postpone the league to either May or October, depending on the availability of the players. Welcoming the move, the Indian Legends skipper Sachin Tendulkar said that it was the right step under the circumstance to reschedule the tournament.

"In the interest of public safety and security, and following the advisory issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the organising body has unanimously agreed to reschedule the remaining matches of the series to a later date"

a top source was quoted as saying by PTI.

The statement further added,

"The remaining seven matches in the series will now be played when the situation is conducive to hold public events with large gathering and there are no travel restrictions"

Earlier, the matches which were to be played at the MCA Stadium in Pune were relocated to the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, several sporting events across the globe have been cancelled or postponed. It will be a huge disappointment for the fans who thronged the stadiums in numbers to witness the legendary cricketers in action!