Coronavirus pandemic: Road Safety World Series postponed to later date, announce organisers

Mumbai: The Road Safety World Series, featuring cricket greats such as Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, has been postponed to a later date in view of the rising coronavirus threat in Maharashtra. The organisers said the dates will be announced later. [caption id=“attachment_8146061” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] (From left to right) Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Brad Haddin, Jonty Rhodes and Tillakaratne Dilshan – the captains of their respective sides. Image courtesy: Twitter @RSWorldSeries[/caption] According to a statement issued by the organising body of the Road Safety World Series late on Thursday, “(we) have unanimously agreed to reschedule the remaining matches of the Series to a later date. The remaining seven matches in the series will now be played when the situation is conducive to hold public events with large gathering and there are no travel restrictions.” Media reports had claimed that the series had been called off for the safety of the players and the public. The organisers had earlier cancelled the matches which were to be played at the MCA Stadium in Pune and relocated them to the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. It had also been earlier decided that the matches would he held in empty stadiums, but given the escalating nature of the crisis the organisers deemed it necessary to postpone the series to a later date. Maharashtra reported 10 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, according to a report by Press Trust of India. Due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, several sporting events in India and across the globe have been cancelled or postponed. Indian Legends skipper Sachin Tendulkar said that it was the right step under the circumstances “The rescheduling of this series, held to create awareness about Road Safety, is unfortunate yet the right step. We all hope and pray that the spread of Novel Corona Virus is contained. It is nice to support the cause and spread the message of Road Safety and playing again with some old friends on the cricket field. I look forward to continuing to support this critical cause through the medium of sports,” he said. The Road Safety World Series had started last week on 7 February and was scheduled to run till 22 February. Follow LIVE updates on coronavirus pandemic here