Geoff Allardice says, “There are some general guidelines which are required, but it’s up to players and teams just to be sensible.”
For the 2022 Women’s World Cup, New Zealand, strict bio-bubbles have been eliminated and daily Covid testing has been discontinued. Instead, the ICC plans to host the tournament in a “managed atmosphere”. After considering the fact that all officials and teams from the host country would have had to undergo Mandatory Isolation Quarantine, the rules were put in place.
“There are some guidelines that must be followed, but we ask players and teams to be sensible and avoid areas that could transmit transmission. We also found out this during the Under-19 World Cup. [in the Caribbean in January-February]The reason is that even though we had many positive tests, there was only a small number of people with symptoms. We want to keep people safe and healthy. It’s quite a departure from six months ago.
Allardice spoke out about how difficult it was to ensure that all teams reached New Zealand – whose borders can only be partially opened – first and then to allow for adequate preparation time after MIQs.
“In November, the New Zealand government increased the quarantine period to ten day, so we gave extra time for teams and preparations. Then it was reduced to seven days. It was difficult logistically to coordinate dates and times,” Allardice explained. “There are now restrictions on the number and type of people who can go to matches. We are hopeful that we will be able to secure a larger capacity at the venues in the second half of this tournament as the situation develops.
“We needed to have some contingency planning. Although they have received a lot of attention, I think they are important. We created this protocol to help teams prepare for whatever might happen.
Geoff Allardice talks about the modified playing conditions
Allardice explained that the lessons from hosting the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe last year and the men’s Under-19 World Cup this past year were taken into consideration when formulating the regulations for this tournament.
He said, “I hope it doesn’t apply.” “It was something that we had to do in the last few months after the Omicron epidemic. Nearly all of our tournaments have seen a shortage of players due to positive Covid test results. In the West Indies, we had a close call with the men’s under-19 World Cup. There were several outbreaks.
“We needed to have contingency planning. Although they have received a lot of attention, I think they are important. We created that protocol to ensure that teams have the best chance of being prepared for whatever might happen. We want 11 vs 11. All teams have squads of 15 players. Reserve players are also traveling with them as a contingency.
Shashank Kishore, a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo, is Shashank Kishore.