On Friday, the two remaining ODIs of the three-match series between India and South Africa in Lucknow and Kolkata have been called off owing to the Coronavirus threat as the country’s sports calendar continued to witness some serious downfall because of the global pandemic.

Describing the same to the PTI, a top BCCI official said, “With the IPL being postponed, it only made sense that at this point in time, this series is also called off. The country is facing serious pandemic.”

The first ODI between the two teams in Dharamsala was washed out on Thursday. Both the teams have reached Lucknow on Friday.

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“The South African team will come to Delhi and leave by taking at the earliest available flight,” the BCCI official further added.

The last two ODIs of the three-match series between India and South Africa was earlier expected to be played in empty stadiums due to the ongoing situation surrounding the spread of COVID-19, the BCCI confirmed on Thursday.

Describing the same, the sports ministry guidance read: “The World Health Organisation (WHO), on Wednesday, assessed that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. The BCCI is making every effort for compliance with the regulatory bodies of the Government of India and ensure the safety of our athletes and valued fans. The BCCI will continue to take guidance from the Government of India and state regulatory bodies.”

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Earlier on Friday, the IPL was also postponed to April 15 from its scheduled March 29 start. India has recorded more than 80 positive cases so far for the coronavirus with the global infected count standing at over 100,000. The death toll because of the virus has gone beyond 5,000 internationally.