Australian cricketers stranded as Indian Premier League tournament suspended amid COVID-19 crisis
Star batsman Steve Smith and other Australian cricketers isolated in India are stranded after the Indian Premier League (IPL) was suspended amid a widening coronavirus outbreak.
Indian cricket officials say they’ll work to secure a safe passage home for all IPL participants.
But Smith and about 40 Australians at the tournament must stay in India until at least May 15 because of a government ban on Australians returning before that. Cricket Australia and the players union, the Australian Cricketers’ Association, say they won’t seek exemptions from the government ban.
A fourth franchise from the lucrative Twenty20 tournament reporting a positive COVID-19 test prompted the competition to be called off indefinitely. The captain of Smith’s Delhi Capitals – coached by Australian great Ricky Ponting – has tested positive. Delhi skipper Amit Mishra’s positive test has forced Smith, his Australian teammate Marcus Stoinis, compatriots Ponting, and bowling coach James Hopes into isolation.
Australians David Warner and Mitchell Marsh will also be isolated after the wicketkeeper at their franchise, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, tested positive. Fellow countrymen Pat Cummins, Ben Cutting] and assistant coach David Hussey, all at the Kolkata Knight Riders, had already been isolated after two players at their outfit tested positive. And Australian fast bowler Jason Behrendorff is also caught up in the outbreak, with three staffers at his Chennai Super Kings pushing jovial. As Indian society buckles with more than 20 million COVID-19 cases and more than 220,000 deaths from the virus, the IPL halted competition.
“The tournament stands suspended,” IPL chairman Brijesh Patel said.
“Right now, we can’t say when to reschedule it.”
Mr. Morrison said on Tuesday the latest figures of coronavirus-positive cases in passengers coming out of India demanded the government pause flights.
Eight crossbenchers on Tuesday wrote to the prime minister asking him to revoke the pause and urgently repatriate Australians in India, starting with the most vulnerable and set up a dedicated surge capacity quarantine facility in Australia.
‘Blood on your hands, PM.’
The government’s returning traveler ban was attacked by ex-Australian cricketer and now commentator Michael Slater, who had been in India commentating on the IPL.
Slater, attempting to return home to Australia from cricket commentary duties in India, launched a tirade against the prime minister on Monday night.
“If our government cared for the safety of Aussies, they would allow us to get home. It’s a disgrace!!” tweeted Slater, who has reportedly made it to the Maldives, where he will wait to come home.
Blood on your hand, PM. How dare you treat us like this.
And those who think this is a money exercise. Well, forget it,” he tweeted a few hours later. I do this for a living and have not made a penny, having left early. So please stop the abuse and think of the thousands dying in India daily. If only our government had some! It’s called empathy.
