South Africa vs India: Tickets won't be available for specatators, CSA exploring other possibilities for public viewing

No tickets would be available for India’s upcoming tour of South Africa, which gets underway on December 26. Three Tests and as many ODIs will be played in the tour but none of the encounters would see fans in the stadiums amid the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron. Reports of games being played behind closed doors were doing rounds since a while.

However, Cricket South Africa (CSA) made the news official on Monday (December 20) with a statement. The cricket body mentioned that boards of both nations, CSA and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), came to a decision that tickets won’t be available for any of the venues considering the safety of players.

This decision was taken in order to avoid any breaches: CSA

“Regrettably, CSA wishes to inform the most ardent fans of cricket as well as all sports lovers that owing to the increasing COVID cases around the world, and the fourth wave locally, the two cricketing bodies have taken a joint decision to protect the players and the tour by NOT making tickets available for the India vs Proteas offerings,” read the statement.

ANNOUNCEMENT🚨

Tickets for the upcoming #SAvIND tour will not be made available after both cricket bodies took a joint decision to protect the players and the tour 😢

The matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport and SABC 📺

Full details ➡️ https://t.co/iTa8p4hRQf pic.twitter.com/VFBf2HYyNo

— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 20, 2021

“This decision was taken in order to avoid any breaches that could compromise the tour from a Covid-risk perspective and to also maintain a hazard-free bubble environment,” it added. Meanwhile, CSA is exploring other possible ways to ensure that same fans can enjoy the matches via activation sites.

“CSA is exploring other alternative public viewing activations which will ensure that a limited number of fans are able to enjoy the summer cricket atmosphere with other fans via activation sites, while still observing the strictest safety measures and exercising duty of care. CSA will announce the available alternative public viewing activations as soon as the relevant approvals have been secured,” the statement read further.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli’s men have a chance of creating history as South Africa is the only nation where India haven’t recorded a Test win. Moreover, the Proteas side hasn’t been at its prime lately. Hence, many are backing the visitors to thrive in the rainbow nation.