Cape Town: England’s ODI cricket series in South Africa was cancelled on Monday following an outbreak of COVID-19 instances at the luxurious Cape Town hotel exactly where each teams are staying.
Both squads have had members infected, though two employees members at the hotel have also contracted the illness.
The choice to contact off the series was taken by each the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket South Africa, the two federations stated in a statement, and was created “to ensure the mental and physical health and welfare of players from both teams.” The opening game of the series was scheduled for Friday but was postponed to Sunday following a South African player tested positive for COVID-19 on the morning of the game.
That very first ODI was then cancelled entirely on Sunday following it was revealed two hotel employees members had been infected with COVID-19, forcing the England contingent to undergo a new round of tests.
Two members of the England group then tested positive for COVID-19, though the ECB stated it wanted the tests verified by an independent health-related group ahead of generating a choice on the remainder of the tour.
Both the ECB and Cricket South Africa had hoped that the remaining two ODI games would be in a position to go ahead but that was ended with Monday’s announcement.
The ECB and CSA stated they had been proficiently postponing the series till a appropriate time could be located for England to travel back to South Africa to play the games.
“We have always maintained that the welfare of our players and management is paramount,” ECB CEO Tom Harrison stated.
“We were concerned about the potential impact that recent developments might have on the wellbeing of the touring party, and so after consultation with Cricket South Africa, we have jointly made the decision to postpone the remaining matches in this series in the best interest of the players’ welfare.” The ECB did not give any update on the two members of its contingent who had tested positive for COVID-19 more than the weekend.
It’s an embarrassing improvement for South African cricket, which has failed to retain the “bio-bubble” in the Cape Town hotel safe. Three South African players have tested positive throughout the tour, which started in mid-November — two of them following getting into the supposedly bio-safe atmosphere.
The teams have currently played a 3-game Twenty20 series, which England won 3-.
England’s restricted-overs tour was organised at quick-notice to give each teams a likelihood to play some cricket following the coronavirus pandemic led to a string of series cancellations across the globe.