PNG pull out of Women's World Cup Qualifiers due to COVID-19 cases
Nov 09, 2021
Port Moresby [Papua New Guinea], November 9 : Papua New Guinea have pulled out of the upcoming women's World Cup qualifiers due to COVID-19 infections in the camp.
The ICC women's World Cup qualifier 2021 will be played in Zimbabwe from November 21 to December 5.
But PNG were forced to withdraw from the upcoming tournament following the multiple PCR tests which gave positive results.
"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," said a Cricket PNG media release.
"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," it added.
Cricket PNG said despite being fully vaccinated COVID-19 "robbed" them of the opportunity to feature in the megaevent.
"Unfortunately, despite everyone in Cricket PNG being fully vaccinated, Covid has robbed us of the opportunity to play international cricket once again. The Board, management, staff and players are all devastated at this turn of events," the statement further said.
"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," it added.
