Ireland cancel limited overs tour of Zimbabwe

Ireland’s tour of Zimbabwe has been cancelled in a bid to lower the risk of the coronavirus spreading.

The teams were scheduled to compete in three Twenty20s and three One Day Internationals between April 2-12, but those games will now not go ahead, with Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom admitting it was the only sensible course of action that could be taken.

“This is the only reasonable decision as we all play our part in containing the spread of COVID-19,” Deutrom confirmed. “We will take a safety-first approach over the coming weeks and months.”

Deutrom also confirmed that they will be liaising with their Zimbabwean counterparts to try and reschedule the series for a later date.

“We shall work with Zimbabwe Cricket to seek a new date for the tour when we are all in a position to plan for the future with greater certainty,” Deutrom added.

Ireland’s women had already had their tour to Thailand for a four-team tournament cancelled earlier this month due to similar concerns regarding the coronavirus.