With an aim to conduct an uninterrupted tournament, the ICC on Thursday said all matches at the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand could be played with nine players in case of a COVID-19 outbreak.

The nine-player-a-side game is already in place in the ICC guidelines related to playing conditions and has been in effect since the U-19 World Cup in the West Indies, where India won the title for a record fifth time. ICC’s head of events Chris Tetley said that the prevalent playing conditions allow teams to field a truncated side.