England tour of South Africa 2020 News

The second One Day International between South Africa and England has been postponed as both the cricket boards, Cricket South Africa and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are seeking the details of the independent ratification of the two unconfirmed COVID-19 positive cases in the tourists camp. However, the second ODI has not been abandoned yet by CSA as they are still considering the option of hosting the remaining two matches on December 8 and 9 with the England side scheduled to leave the country on December 10. The latest postponement marks the third delay in four days as the boards grapple with the crisis of novel coronavirus in what was believed to be a biosecure bubble. Earlier, a report of one of the squad member of the South African squad testing positive for the novel coronavirus infection emerge that led to the postponement of the first ODI which was ultimately abandoned as the hotel staff where the teams were under bubble tested positive followed by the development of coronavirus cases in the England camp. The crisis comes at a worse time for CSA which was already struggling with the administrative chaos before the English side had arrived due to tussle with the South African federal government. Many former England players have weighed in on the outlook of the series that has been marred by crisis one after another. Former England captains Micahel Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook have given up on the hopes of the resumption of the ODI series. Michael Vaughan has said that in his views England touring party will not be feeling safe and comfortable about the facilities being provided in South Africa.

The situation regarding COVID infections amidst the scheduled England vs South Africa ODI series keeps getting worse. After the first game of series got abandoned on Sunday, following two members of the hotel staff where England stayed in Cape Town testing positive for the infection, now it has come to light that members in the South African team have also tested COVID positive, though official confirmation is pending. As a result, members of the squad as well as the support staff are going into self-isolation and restricting themselves to their rooms. If the positive results of COVID tests are confirmed, then the series is certain to be cancelled. The first ODI was anyway postponed from its original scheduled date of December 4 after a player in the South African camp was reported to be infected with the dreaded virus. Sir Alastair Cook, part of the BBC's radio commentary team, also expressed his scepticism about the prospects of the tour continuing. "I’d be very surprised if this series continues. I think that’s pretty much impossible. They’ll be trying to get their flight home," Sir Alastair said. Financially vulnerable, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has been pulling out all stops to continue the tour. But with the situation stumbling from one setback to another, it seems their efforts will come to nought.

The first ODI in a scheduled three-match ODI series between South Africa and England has been abandoned due to the dreaded COVID-19. This time, the reason for the match to be given the red signal were the positive results of COVID tests done on two members of the hotel staff where the English team stayed in Cape Town. The shocking discovery forced the match to be first delayed and then, eventually, getting called off. The series is already running behind schedule as the first match was first scheduled to be played on the 4th of this month. But it had to be postponed due to one of the players in the South African camp testing positive. Now, the English team is undergoing tests to see if any one of them has caught the virus. If they have, the entire tour may come to an early and abrupt end. An initial statement from the two countries explained the situation thus: "The England players and management underwent an additional round of PCR tests on Saturday evening, after two members of the hotel staff testing positive for Covid-19," it said. "Whilst the ECB awaits ratification of those test results the decision has been taken to delay the start of today's ODI match." Since this statement, the match has been abandoned. The second ODI is scheduled to take place tomorrow at Paarl, the same venue, but it too comes under doubt now.

Pandemic-stricken cricket is living on the knife's edge with instances of lapses in bio-bubble security growing by the day.

The widely discussed ODI series between South Africa and England will go ahead as per the revised plans after the entire SA squad passed the latest round of Covid-19 test, reported Reuters. According to the revised schedule, the sides will meet each other for the first ODI on Sunday, December 06. “The entire Proteas team has returned negative results from the COVID-19 tests that were conducted yesterday evening in Cape Town ahead of the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series,” Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed in a statement. Earlier, the first ODI was postponed due to fears over a member in the South Africa squad testing positive for the novel coronavirus infection and both the ECB and CSA had issued a joint statement on the development. "In the interests of the safety and well-being of both teams, match officials and all involved in the match, the acting CEO of CSA, Kugandrie Govender, as well as the CEO of the ECB, Tom Harrison, have agreed to postpone the first fixture to Sunday" the statement read. After the first ODI scheduled to take place in Paarl, the team will travel to Cape Town where the second and third ODI will be played on December 06 and 08.

The first ODI between South Africa and England that was scheduled to start at 11 am local time today has been called off and it has now been shifted to Sunday, December 06 as a member of the host squad has tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection. Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) issued a joint statement on the development and said that that the decision to halt the first ODI was taken in view of ensuring health and well-being of all the players on either side and match officials. "In the interests of the safety and well-being of both teams, match officials and all involved in the match, the acting CEO of CSA, Kugandrie Govender, as well as the CEO of the ECB, Tom Harrison, have agreed to postpone the first fixture to Sunday" the statement read.