New South Wales was named champions after Cricket Australia cancelled all cricket events of the Sheffield Shield amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Cricket Australia has recently shut down all lower-tier competitions of the Sheffield Shield tournament as a precaution against COVID-19. In line with that, the team of New South Wales had already been declared as the season champions despite having one round remaining.
According to CA chief executive Kevin Roberts, the decision concerning the proclamation of the Blues as the season winner was done unanimously. The New South Wales team had been declared as the winners due to the fact that they had been on the top of the table with 12 points ahead of Victoria.
The Blues’ lead after nine rounds also contributed to the decision-making process of the committee which had proclaimed them as winners.
Cricket Australia also thought that it’s best to end the season by proclaiming a champion rather than not having a winner at all. Since the final match scheduled on March 27 will no longer push through, CA just decided to end the season this way.
‘It’s really disappointing but it’s the right thing to do in the circumstances and congratulations to NSW. By effectively cancelling the remainder of our season, Cricket Australia is playing its part in protecting fans, players, staff, volunteers and match officials during this unprecedented global health issue’, Roberts stated.
The Sheffield Shield is governed by Cricket Australia. To further understand how cricket is played, head over at Betwala.
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