JAMAICA looks certain to miss out on hosting any part of the South Africa cricket tour of the Caribbean mid-year because of the recent alarming spike in novel coronavirus cases.

However, the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) leadership is optimistic that by the time Pakistan are to arrive for their tour of the region later this year the country will be in the running to stage at least one Test match at Sabina Park in Kingston.

“If Cricket West Indies [CWI] and Cricket South Africa [CSA] determine that they will not be playing in Jamaica then I’ll still be hopeful that consideration will be given for Jamaica to host another leg of home games later in the year,” Courtney Francis, the JCA chief executive officer, told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

“I’m aware that CWI wants different venues in the region to host international games throughout the pandemic so there is a concerted effort for all international tours to be played across venues — and that includes the Caribbean Premier League,” he continued.

News recently emerged that the proposal for a tour game at Trelawny Stadium and a Test match at Sabina Park when the South Africans visit will be transferred to Trinidad and Tobago. The dual-island nation had already been earmarked to host a part of the series.

“I’m in touch with CWI and I await their official communication. I’m kind of optimistic that if they play the two Test matches [against South Africa] in Trinidad then we may get the Pakistan Tests,” Francis said.

Up to press time yesterday CWI had not made an announcement on the latest proposal.

But the Observer has learned that CSA has officially expressed concern about playing cricket in Jamaica against the backdrop of steeply rising virus cases.

Up to Saturday, Jamaica had recorded over 533 deaths from 35,338 positive cases. Other countries in the Caribbean have been faring better. Globally, there have been 2.72 million deaths and 124 million cases.

South Africa’s tour of the West Indies is set to include Test and limited overs matches. It is part of a busy home schedule for West Indies, with both Australia and Pakistan slated to visit after the South Africans.

“Based on how the fixtures are done, if some adjustments are to be made they would just shift based on the timeline and how severe COVID-19 is at that time. We would expect that later in the year Jamaica would be in a better position because of the anticipated vaccination,” the JCA chief executive explained.

Francis said the JCA is in contact with the Government of Jamaica regarding approval for hosting international cricket.

Sri Lanka are currently on a limited overs and Test tour of the West Indies. All matches are being played in Antigua.