In view of the illness of 10 South African players, the schedule of the cricket tri-series has been reworked with the South Africa A and Australia A match to be held on Wednesday, while the final league game will be played on August 13 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The rescheduling was done at the last moment as Media Officer of the BCCI in Southern India Dr. Baba informed about the changes and confirmed that the final would happen on August 14, a day after the India A-South Africa A clash.
- 'Ten South African players hospitalised in Chennai'
"All the South African players since having been discharged from hospital requested for one day's rest tomorrow," read Dr. Baba's WhatsApp message on Monday.
Later Dr.Baba told PTI that extending a day's rest on Tuesday was based on the South African team's request as all 10 Proteas players were discharged around noon on Monday.
The changes in match schedule would mean that Tuesday, instead of August 13, would be a rest day.
South Africa A's one-day match against Australia A, who have already booked their final berth, has been postponed for the second time.
Earlier South Africa A had requested India A coach Rahul Dravid to stand in for them against Australia A on August 10 due to the hospitalisation of the players.
In a series of events, four South African players were admitted to a city hospital due to food poisoning before their Sunday game against India A, while six more players took ill after the tri-series game on Sunday.
Opener Quinton de Kock, who hit 108 in his side's eight-wicket loss, was rushed to a city hospital after the game, while three others were also hospitalised during the course of the match.
"With half of the squad going down ill overnight South Africa was forced to play (against India A today) an ill-balanced starting XI that had only four frontline bowlers with the likes of Dean Elgar and Khaya Zondo to make up the rest of the overs," the Cricket South Africa had said in a release.
The plight of the South African side was understandable when India A team's 12th man Mandeep Singh came in to field after de Kock suffered a hamstring pull.
Even before that South Africa A's video analyst Hendrikus Coertzen was seen fielding in place of left-arm seamer Mthokozisi Shezi, who had fallen ill.
Ten South African cricketers on tour in India were hospitalised at the weekend following food poisoning, three of them during a match on Sunday in which the tourists had to borrow a fielder from their opponents, Cricket South Africa said on Monday.
As a result of the players being laid low, South Africa’s A team had their next match in the ODI series, against Australia A, put back by 24 hours to Tuesday.
With half the team reported ill on Saturday night, South Africa were forced to field an ill-balanced line-up against the hosts in their second game of the tri-series in Chennai.
Reeza Hendricks, Mthokozisi Shezi and Khaya Zondo had to play despite being sick because nobody else was available but all three were hospitalised during the course of the match.
Frontline bowler Zondo got through four overs before being overcome by stomach trouble and taken to hospital .
South Africa had to send their video analyst, Hendrikus Coertzen, on to help field and later borrowed a fielder from their opponents to make up the numbers.
Quinton de Kock, dropped from South Africa’s test team, was rushed into action less than 24 hours after arriving in India and responded with a century but also required hospitalisation after the game.
India won by eight wickets with more than 12 overs to spare.
