PNG pull out of Women’s World Cup Qualifier

Papua New Guinea have withdrawn from the upcoming Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier due to multiple positive COVID-positive tests within the playing group.

Cricket PNG, the national governing body, made the announcement yesterday.

The team had gone into quarantine in Port Moresby from October 30, in a similar practice to their male counterparts ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and were due to depart for Zimbabwe on November 6.

In a media release by Cricket PNG, the board stressed its disappointment, stating that all options were exhausted despite the best efforts of both their board and the ICC.

“Multiple PCR tests have been done on nearly a daily basis to try to give players the opportunity to test negative,” the release stated.

“We have also over the weekend worked with the ICC on later flight options to give the team more time to still be able to tour. Unfortunately, all the extra efforts to get the team to travel have been unsuccessful.

“We do not have enough players for the tour who can pass the Covid test required for flying internationally leaving the Cricket PNG Board no option other than to withdraw the team from the tour today.

“The Board, management, staff and players are all devastated at this turn of events. Months of hard work have gone into this tour, and to be robbed by Covid before we could leave is hard to accept.

“Months of hard work have gone into this tour, and to be robbed by Covid before we could leave is hard to accept. Covid is in the community in PNG and despite putting in best practices, including vaccinations and quarantining players seven days early, it wasn’t enough on this occasion.

“Our only comfort is that all the players and support staff who have tested positive, due to being vaccinated, have had only mild or no symptoms.”

The Papua New Guinea team were to feature in Group A, alongside Ireland, Sri Lanka, West Indies and the Netherlands.

The 2021 Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier begins on November 21.