Derbyshire to leave Zimbabwe pre-season tour early over player safety concerns

The club will begin their return to England on Monday though no member of the squad have shown symptoms of coronavirus

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Derbyshire have taken the decision to return home from their pre-season tour of Zimbabwe.

There are no cases of coronavirus in the country and none of the touring party have shown symptoms relating to COVID-19.

Yet the club have opted to continue their preparations for the new season at home and will begin the process of returning on Monday (March 16).

The team flew out of Harare on March 9 and were initially due to remain there for nearly three weeks, returning home on March 29.

As the UK government look set to introduced several new precautionary measures after coronavirus cases rose to 1,140, Derbyshire have opted to act.

COUNTY HUB

A meeting between staff and players saw concerns raised over possible future travel restrictions which could be enforced in the near future.

“While the decision to return was not an easy one to make, it is the correct one for all players and everyone associated with the club currently in Zimbabwe," head of cricket Dave Houghton said.

“I would like to thank Zimbabwe Cricket for their hospitality and the local authorities for their guidance during the last few days.

“We will continue our pre-season preparations back in Derby to give the squad the best possible opportunity to be match-ready for the coming season.”

The number of county sides to alter or cancel pre-season tours now stands at 12. The ECB are braced for the English domestic season to be severely disrupted as the government prepare to ban mass gatherings for an indefinite period.

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