The South African cricket team has decided to remain in Colombo, but its participation in the Unitech tri-series is not certain.
COLOMBO: The South African cricket team has decided to remain in Colombo, but its participation in the Unitech tri-series is not certain.
According to the team’s officials, Cricket South Africa will assess the security situation before making a decision. “The security around the team has been upgraded and the team will remain in Colombo,” an official from the South African team said on Tuesday.
It is learnt that Cricket South Africa and the International Cricket Council have engaged an independent agency to review the state of affairs.
The decision to participate will depend on the agency’s report, which is expected to be submitted before the team takes on India on Saturday.
If South Africa does participate, the tournament itinerary will be revised. The first match — abandoned on Tuesday owing to the South Africans’ refusal to take the field after Monday’s blast — will be held on August 29. That date was the original slot for the final, which will now be held on September 2.
It was not immediately clear if the revised itinerary is acceptable to the Indian team. A Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) official said, however, that the Indian board has given its consent.
The Indian team management refused to comment on the development. “We have no instruction from the board,” said Rajan Nayyar, the team’s media manager.
Neither SLC officials nor the Indian team management was willing to hazard a guess on whether the South Africans would pull out on Saturday. In such an eventuality, the tournament could be turned into a five-match bilateral series.
The South African team’s assent to stay is the result of intense negotiations with SLC. The two sides were engaged in deliberations till late on Monday.
The South African board said it took cognisance of the assurance - delivered by South Africa’s high commissioner in Sri Lanka - that its team, and cricket in general, do not appear to be targets of the ‘civil unrest’ in the country.
The hosts hailed the South African decision. “We’re happy. We understand their fears and concerns. We’ll do everything to assuage their fears,” said SLC secretary Adeel Hashim.
Revised tri-series schedule:
Aug 16: Sri Lanka v India
Aug 19: India v South Africa
Aug 21: Sri Lanka v South Africa
Aug 24: Sri Lanka v India
Aug 26: India v South Africa
Aug 29: Sri Lanka v South Africa
Sept 2: Final
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