IPL 2021: “It’s in the hands of the players” – Graeme Smith on South Africans willing to leave the tournament
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Graeme Smith
A COVID-19 outbreak has left the star-studded IPL on edge, with KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier testing positive for the Coronavirus, prompting the postponement of their game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, and cases also emerging in the Chennai Super Kings camp, with their bowling coach Laxmipathy Balaji and a bus driver testing positive for the virus.
The announcement that two Kolkata Knight Riders players have tested positive for the feared Covid-19 virus seems to have plunged BCCI into a frenzy. South Africa’s Director of Cricket, Graeme Smith, stated that Cricket South Africa (CSA) is always there to assist, but it is up to the cricketers to determine whether or not to continue participating in the IPL.
“We’ve offered support to the players and made ourselves available to them should there be any concerns. Ultimately, it is in their hands to make a choice about their continued participation,” said Graeme Smith.
11 South African players are a part of IPL 2021
11 South African players are a part of the IPL 2021 which includes AB De Villiers, Faf Du Plessis, Quinton De Kock, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, David Miller, Chris Morris, and Hardus Viljoen.
India has been recording around 4 lakh cases per day which has given rise to concern among many countries. Several nations, including Australia and New Zealand, have barred flights from India, but South Africa has held its borders open by requiring travellers to provide a negative test report within 72 hours of their arrival.
Smith also spoke about South Africa’s upcoming tour of West Indies and stated that he was hopeful of free agents like AB de Villiers and Imran Tahir returning to the national set-up.
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Mohamed Azhar
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