[ad_1]
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor cast serious doubt on the next test tour in South Africa, a few weeks before the team’s planned departure.
Cricket Australia has named a 19-man squad for the tour, but is yet to come to an agreement with Cricket South Africa on the tour schedule.
South Africa has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Johns Hopkins University reporting the country has experienced nearly 1.5 million infections and more than 44,000 deaths.
In recent weeks, a new South African strain of the virus has been identified, with concerns raised about the effectiveness of vaccines against the coronavirus variant.
From a cricket perspective alone, Australia stands to miss this year’s World Test Championship final if the tour is canceled.
“I think it’s in a wait-and-see pattern, but I’ll be surprised if it happens,” Taylor told Wide World of Sports radio.
“I’m sure they’re trying to make it happen because it’s part of this Test Championship, and Australia really needs to play.
“At the moment they are third in this table, India and New Zealand are above them.
Taylor said if the players would be keen on going to the field, the medical situation in the country should prevail.
“They would love to play it, go out there and win, and qualify for that test championship final, but you look at the numbers, something like 4,500 people a day still contracting coronavirus there, another two hundred dying each. day, that must be a major concern for the players, ”Taylor said.
“If the bubble was somehow shattered and one of the players or support staff had contracted the virus, then where are you going?
“Will medical support be the norm Australia would get here at home for now?”
For a daily dose of the best of the latest news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter in Click here!
[ad_2]
