Swine flu makes Team India miss Caribbean tour opener

India’s warm-up cricket match ahead of their ODI series against the West Indies has reportedly been cancelled over fears of swine flu. While cases of swine flu have been reported from Trinidad and Tobago, India are not scheduled to play there. They will play the first two ODIs in Jamaica and the last two in St Lucia.

India’s warm-up cricket match ahead of their one-day international (ODI) series against the West Indies has reportedly been cancelled over fears of swine flu.

HT Image

While cases of swine flu have been reported from Trinidad and Tobago, India are not scheduled to play there. They will play the first two ODIs in Jamaica and the last two in St Lucia.

But the authorities in the West Indies did not want to take any chances after the inaugural Caribbean Games — involving track and field, boxing, netball and tennis — were cancelled last Friday.

Indian cricketers were asked to take all possible precautions and remain in their hotel rooms as much as possible.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India could not confirm the cancellation of the practice match.

While some officials are still in England, where they had gone for the World T20, others in India said they had received no official intimation from the West Indies.

This is the second instance of swine flu directly impacting cricket. On June 11, four junior cricketers had contracted the illness during an indoor tournament in Australia.