Coronavirus threat to Yorkshire CCC tour of India

The club says the trip is not under threat at this stage but that it is monitoring the situation daily while taking advice from the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Yorkshire are due to fly to Mumbai for a two-week tour starting on March 11.

India is one of more than 60 countries affected, with the capital Delhi confirming its first cases yesterday after previous infections in the southern state Kerala.

Thermal screening has been introduced at 21 Indian airports including Mumbai to check for the virus, which has infected around 90,000 worldwide and killed over 3,000, the majority in the Chinese province of Hubei where the virus emerged.

Martyn Moxon, the Yorkshire director of cricket, said: “We’re planning to go ahead with the tour as planned and have not heard anything different at this stage.

“We’ll take advice from the ECB really; they’ve sent messages out to clubs and obviously we check with our doctor, but at the moment there’s nothing to suggest that we can’t go.

“The situation is changing so quickly, of course, but, as far as we know, everything’s all right in terms of the tour.

“We’ll be playing and practising at various grounds within Mumbai, playing against local teams, and taking a squad of 19 players.”

Other counties’ pre-season plans are facing disruption. Essex, Somerset and Worcestershire are set to travel to the United Arab Emirates, where the recent cycling tour was cancelled after reports that two staff from one team tested positive.

Around the world, sporting events have been cancelled, postponed or played behind closed doors, while fears have beeen raised for the Tokyo Olympics and Euro 2020.

For Yorkshire, it remains business as usual, with the club intending to send out four bowlers to India later this week ahead of the main group for extra training – pace men Ben Coad, Matthew Fisher, Duanne Olivier and Matthew Waite, plus bowling coach Rich Pyrah and physiotherapis Kunwar Bansil.

Dawid Malan, the England batsman signed on a four-year contract from Middlesex in November, will not be joining the tour due to his involvement with Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.

Another absentee is batsman Will Fraine (knee), while two players all set to go are battling injury. All-rounder Tim Bresnan has a calf problem, while Gary Ballance has broken his left index finger in the nets.

“Tim has got a bit of a calf issue which we’re monitoring, so he might not be able to play initially on the tour, but hopefully it will have cleared up towards the end,” said Moxon.

“He had something similar at the start of last season and it’s frustrating for him and for everyone really.

“Gary has a broken finger, so he won’t be playing at the start of the tour but, again, hopefully he will be by the end.

“Other than that, we’ve got a clean bill of health and the lads are looking forward to stepping up preparations ahead of the season.”

Yorkshire’s visit to India marks a departure from previous years, with the club having traditionally journeyed to the Middle East or South Africa for outdoor practice.

Moxon explained: “We wanted a change of scenery, so the main reason was to go to a different location.

“We also wanted good cricket facilities, of course, and Mumbai was the most cost-effective option.

“It will be something different and the lads just want to get out on the grass now. They’ve been indoors since November and they’re ready to get outside and play some games.”