Omicron forces CWC League 2 postponement as UAE and Oman leave Namibia in middle of tri-series

The new variant of the Covid-19, Omricon, said to have originated from South Africa has now wreaked havoc on the sporting events in the southern part of Africa with most of the events getting cancelled. The next event to get cancelled is the tri-series involving United Arab Emirates, Oman and hosts Namibia taking place in Windhoek, the capital city of the host nation. 

The decision was taken as UAE announced the suspension of inbound flights from Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana or Mozambique. This follows similar restrictions imposed by the UK, the United States and the European Union. 

The tri-series, part of the Cricket World Cup League 2, was being held as part of the qualification process of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Among the 10 teams part of League 2, five will get a chance to compete with teams five unqualified teams from the Super League in the main Qualifier event in 2022. 

However, the league that started in 2019 was supposed to have 21 series up to 2022, but due to the Covid-19, only 7 series have been completed so far. 

Earlier, the Netherlands decided to return back from their tour of South Africa for three ODIs which were part of the CWC Super League. ICC also cancelled the Women’s World Cup Global Qualifier event in Zimbabwe owing to the Omicron.

Now, it is being understood that the Omani and Emirati men’s teams are also returning on the same flight, chartered by the ICC, as the teams returning from the Women's Qualifier in Harare.