New Covid-19 variant forces postponement of CWC League 2 matches, UAE and Oman return home

The Covid-19 pandemic has once again proven to be a roadblock in the cricketing world. The new strain of Coronavirus, called Omicron is spreading in South Africa, and as a result, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Oman sides will be returning back to their respective countries.

Also, various countries had imposed a travel ban on people from South Africa as well, and this has now resulted in the postponement of the Cricket World Cup (CWC) League 2 matches as well.

The UAE has announced the cancellation of all flights coming from South Africa and there are also several restrictions on the entry of passengers who have come through countries like Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Eswatini and Botswana as well.

Oman and UAE return home on the same chartered flights

The Oman and the UAE cricket teams returned home on the same chartered flights. The Netherlands team meanwhile is still in Pretoria waiting for their departure to their homeland.

Oman and Namibia had locked horns in 2 matches on 26th and 27th November 2021 respectively. While the Namibia side had won the first rubber, beating their opposition by 40 runs, Oman bounced back in the second ODI and beat the Namibia outfit by a slender margin of 9 runs.

These games are a part of the CWC League 2, which should finish before the 2023 World Cup qualifiers tournament. But then, due to the postponement of matches due to Covid-19, the league might not be completed before the scheduled time.

The emergence of the new Covid-19 variant had also forced the postponement of the ODI series between South Africa and The Netherlands as well. Only one out of the 3 scheduled matches between the two sides was completed.