Sri Lanka Cricket secretary, Nishantha Ranatunga has revealed that the board has received a message from ZCU (Zimbabwe Cricket Union), which wants to postpone the upcoming tour, where Sri Lanka was to visit Zimbabwe in early October to play 2 Tests, 3 ODIs and 2 T20Is.
“We received an e-mail from the Zimbabwe Cricket Union seeking a
postponement of the tour and the reason given was ‘due to unavoidable
circumstances’,” shared Nishantha Ranatunga. “No further reasons were
given by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union and we are awaiting further clarification on this matter,” he further added.
The Zimbabweans are currently hosting Pakistan, a tour which was also prone to being cancelled or delayed due to a payment dispute between the players and the board. However, fortunately for cricket fans, the issue was resolved and Pakistan is presently in Zimbabwe.
The Men in Green defeated the
Zimbabweans in the 2-match T20I leg of the series, but the home team
struck back in the 1st ODI of the 50-over leg, clinching their first
victory against the visitors in 15 years. Before Pakistan, India also
toured Zimbabwe in July.
Speaking with ESPNcricinfo, Wilfred Mukondiwa, MD of Zimbabwe Cricket, said, “We are in negotiations with Sri Lanka. We are always talking to other home boards, that is the normal course of business. At the opportune time, and when I have heard back from my Sri Lankan colleagues, we will make an announcement.”
It is believed that the Zimbabwe Cricket is facing financial issues,
which are the cause behind the postponement request they made to Sri Lanka. Given how the board just went through a pay dispute with players, it may not be viable for them to host 3 countries in such a short time span.
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya, announced
that Sri Lanka’s ace pacer, Lasith Malinga will be resting for the tour
of Zimbabwe due to family commitments. While Jayasuriya shared that Sri
Lanka had plans to try out youngsters, he stressed that the Test leg of
the tour was very important for them.