Sussex’s SA tour ended prematurely

Sussex have confirmed their pre-season tour of South Africa has ended early because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Sussex were hoping to get some valuable playing time in South Africa ahead of the new County Championship season after arriving in Cape Town last week, but their tour has ended early due to the Covid-19 situation.

The three-time Division One champions were due to play their first game on Monday, but will now fly back to the United Kingdom as soon as possible in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Sussex have confirmed no players or staff members have displayed any symptoms of the illness, but the decision has been made due to the increasing measures that countries are taking around the world to combat the virus.

On the decision to fly home, director of cricket Keith Greenfield said: “This is obviously disappointing, but the well-being of our players and staff is our number one priority.”