The first Test between India and South Africa was previously in jeopardy after the outbreak of the Omicron variant in the Rainbow Nation. Now, the reports state that the Boxing Day Test match at Centurion is will be played without spectators as the host country’s cricket board is not selling tickets in view of the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron. Only some suite holders and delegates have been permitted to watch the match live though current COVID-19 restrictions implemented by the government allow for 2,000 fans, according Afrikaans language weekly newspaper ‘Rapport’ as quoted by ‘news24’ website.
The fans are likely to be absent for India vs SA 1st Test Match
The organisers are, however, waiting to see if there are any changes to government regulations regarding COVID-19 next week. As of now, no tickets are on sale for the second Test beginning at the Wanderers from January 3.
“Please note, no announcement has been made regarding ticket sales for the upcoming Test match at the #ImperialWanderers Stadium between South Africa and India,” the official Twitter account of the stadium said.
“At this point, it isn’t clear if fans will be allowed. We will make further announcements in due course.” The series is taking place amid the rising threat of COVID-19 following the emergence of the Omicron variant last month. The country has seen a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks.
ALSO READ: Watch: Suresh Raina, Jonty Rhodes, and Harbhajan Singh engage in a fun banter on Twitter
The tour itself was earlier in serious doubt given the present circumstances but the Boards of both the countries agreed to go ahead with it. It was on Sunday that the Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced that the remaining round of four-day franchise series, the country’s premier domestic competition, has been postponed as a precautionary measure over COVID-19 fears.
Team India who arrived here on December 16, are staying in a resort (Irene Lodge) which is entirely booked for them by CSA to ensure that a strict bio-bubble is maintained throughout the series.
