Wellington: The last three T20I matches of ongoing five-match series between Australia and New Zealand have been shifted to Wellington from Auckland amid coronavirus concerns.
The fans will not be allowed for the next three games, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Monday. New Zealand are leading the five-match series against Australia 2-0.
Meanwhile, the three-match T20I series between England women and New Zealand have been also moved to Wellington and will be held without spectators. The T20I series between New Zealand and England starts on March 3. The T20I series is followed by three-match ODI series, which England won 2-1.
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"The final BlackCaps v Australia and White Ferns v England T20 double-header, scheduled for the Bay Oval on Sunday, March 7, will now be played on the same date and time at Sky Stadium in Wellington. The change has been forced on NZC because of logistical complications arising from the transfer of this Friday's second double-header from Auckland to Wellington," the NZC said in an official statement.
"The current Alert Level 2 protocols in Wellington mean all three double-headers - on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, will be played behind closed doors," it added.
On Saturday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had announced that Auckland would return to level 3 for seven days. As a result, no sport can be held at level 3.
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The rest of the country has moved to alert level 2 and the restrictions will last for a period of seven days. While announcing the new restrictions, Ardern said that the lockdown was needed due to there being no immediate transmission link between the new mystery case and the latest Auckland cluster.
