Sheffield Shield: New South Wales declared champions amid coronavirus outbreak
The remaining matches of Sheffield Shield were called-off on Tuesday, owing to coronavirus pandemic. As a result, New South Wales have been crowned champions as they were leading after nine games in the inter-state competition. Earlier, the last round of the tournament was suspended due to the ongoing crisis. The Australian government on Sunday enforced self-quarantine for the people entering the country.
Kevin Roberts congratulated New South Wales
"Many will be disappointed that the Sheffield Shield, Premier Cricket and Community Cricket seasons won't have traditional ending. We congratulate New South Wales who were 12 points clear at the top on being crowned Sheffield Shield champions," Cricket Australia chief Kevin Roberts said.
New South Wales were leading by 12 points
After nine matches, New South Wales appeared as the front runners with six wins and two defeats. The Peter Nevil-led side won their last fixture against Tasmania by nine wickets. Victoria followed them with three wins and as many defeats. All the six teams had to feature in their respective final match. The final was scheduled from March 27.
Government imposed self-isolation as a preventive measure
The Australian government, on Sunday, announced the self-isolation policy in the wake of the coronavirus outburst. As per the announcement made by the government, any foreigner arriving in the country will be forced into self-isolation for 14 days, starting March 15. The new travel measures are designed to help the Federal Government contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Australia has confirmed 400 cases so far
Australia alone has reported nearly 400 cases of coronavirus thus far, with five deaths. However, Kevin lauded the measures taken by the government of late. "As organisations around the world rally to slow the spread of the coronavirus, it's important that we also provide decisive leadership," he said. He added, "We can contribute to 'flattening the curve' of coronavirus and society returning to normal."
The ODI series between Australia and New Zealand was called-off
The coronavirus scare led to suspension of the ODI series between Australia and New Zealand. Australia won the first ODI which was played behind closed doors, while the remaining two were called-off later. The impending T20I series, for which New Zealand had to host Australia, was cancelled as well. Meanwhile, the IPL 2020 has also been postponed from March 29 to April 15.