Harare, Jan 3 (IANS): Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has temporarily halted all cricket activities in the country after a spike in Covid-19 cases prompted to government to impose a fresh lockdown.

ZC said that its men's domestic T20 tournament, which was set to get underway on January 4, now stands postponed.

"This is a very challenging situation, but ZC's aim is to reschedule all the affected events and fixtures - including the elite men's domestic T20 competition which was scheduled to begin this Monday - for them to be played as soon as it is deemed safe to do so," ZC said in a statement.

Zimbabwe were also set to play three T20Is and two Tests against Afghanistan in late January and it is yet to be seen how the decision impacts that tour. It was originally set to take place in India but has since been shifted away from the country. UAE and Zimbabwe itself are the two potential venues for the tour.

Zimbabwe's last international assignment was a six-match limited overs series in Pakistan in November 2020. The country has reportedly recorded 1,342 positive cases and 29 deaths in the space of one week.