ICC U19 World Cup 2022: Two plate matches cancelled after nine Canada players test Covid-19 positive

Nine players from the Canada team have tested positive for Covid-19 in the ongoing ICC U-19 World Cup, leading to two Plate matches getting cancelled as the players will now stay under isolation. Their health will be monitored by the event health team.

Canada are unable to produce more players in further matches and hence, their plate playoff semi-final clash against Scotland has been cancelled. Scotland, as a result, will qualify for the 13th/14th playoff because of the higher net run rate so far in the tournament.

In a statement, ICC head of the event, Chris Tetley said, "We are incredibly disappointed to have to cancel two ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup games due to COVID-19 at this stage of the event. We were expecting to see some positive cases throughout the event and to date, these have been managed in accordance with our biosafety plan without impacting on fixtures. However, with so many players from the Canadian team testing positive it will not be possible to stage these games."

"The players are now self-isolating and will receive full support from the event medical team under the guidance of the Bio-Safety Advisory Group," he added.

The ongoing ICC U-19 World Cup in the Caribbean has a total of 16 teams. Many teams including India have been affected by the virus. India's captain Yash Dhull, among others, was a prominent affected player. As India were able to field eleven players, they continued their way forward in the tournament.

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua will host the finals of the tournament on the 5th of February. Some of these U-19 players will be also seen going under the hammer in the upcoming mega auctions of the IPL.