Kane Williamson, who is New Zealand skipper presently besides playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL has said that the breakout of COVID cases within IPL franchises has raised anxiety about the tournament. He has said that this epidemic will force everyone to be observant about their health and surroundings and players need to follow protocols besides being disciplined.
Kane Williamson has played 41 IPL matches and scored 1302 runs averaging 38.29 besides scoring 12 half-centuries for Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise besides appearing in 80 Tests,151 ODIs and 60 T20Is for New Zealand. He averages more than 45 in both Tests and ODIs.
Kane Williamson Will Leave On September 3 To Join Sunrisers Hyderabad
Kane Williamson will be leaving for UAE where IPL will take place on September 3 to join his SunRisers Hyderabad teammates, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo.
“Obviously that’s bad news. You don’t want to hear anybody has COVID. I hear they are predominantly asymptomatic, so hopefully, through another lockdown period, they can come through and we’ll be okay,” Kane Williamson said.
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“There’s a little bit of apprehension, certainly as you get nearer to the time…you start thinking you do have to be extremely vigilant and disciplined,” ESPNCricinfo quoted Williamson as saying to Radio New Zealand.
New Zealand Cricket’s CEO David White has said that their board is also keeping a note on the situation in UAE. He added that the board is collaborating with BCCI and other member countries.
“We’ve been in close contact with the BCCI, we are very comfortable with all the process they have in place. Likewise, with the CPL, we’ve got nine players there at the moment and they’ve been very vigilant with their systems as well. We’re in close collaboration with all the member countries around the world,” ESPNCricinfo quoted White as saying.
The six New Zealand players who will play in IPL 2020 include Jimmy Neesham, Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell McClenaghan, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner besides Kane Williamson.
CSK Members Who Tested Positive Will Be Tested Again After 14 Day Quarantine Period Is Over
Chennai Super Kings’ CEO Kasi Viswanathan announced that the members who tested positive for COVID-19 last week will be tested again after their 14-day quarantine period gets over. Speaking to ANI, the CEO had said that remaining members have tested negative.
“Those who tested positive earlier will be tested again only after 14 days,” he said.
On August 29, BCCI had confirmed that 13 personnel including two players had tested positive for COVID-19. Although the board did not specify the identity of both personnel and team affected, it was learnt that Chennai Super Kings were at the receiving end with 13 members including players Deepak Chahar and Rituraj Gaekwad contacted coronavirus and were isolated from the other team members.
“13 personnel have tested positive of which 2 are players. All the affected personnel as well as their close contacts are asymptomatic and have been isolated from other team members. They are being monitored by the IPL Medical Team,” the BCCI had said in an official release.
The IPL 2020 which was postponed from 29th March and moved to UAE from India due to rising coronavirus cases in the country will be played from September 19 and conclude on November 10 in the UAE across three venues Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
The tournament would be played without fans initially, and all the franchises would be staying in a bio-secure bubble to prevent the spreading of the dreaded virus.