South Africa-England first ODI postponed after a player tests positive

South Africa-England first ODI postponed after a player tests positive

By Web Desk
December 04, 2020
South Africa-England first ODI postponed after a player tests positive / Photo: CSA

The first One Day International (ODI) between South Africa and England scheduled to start today has been postponed after a player in South African cricket team tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday.

The two teams were scheduled to participate in a three-match ODI series starting today. The postponed match will now be played on Sunday.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced the news on Twitter few hours before the start of the match in a three-tweet thread.

“Cricket South Africa and @ECB_cricket confirm the postponement of the first #BetwayODI of the three-match series to Sunday, 06 December 2020,” CSA wrote.

Read: Watch: England, South Africa cricketers react to Covid-19 testing

The cricket board confirmed that a player from South Africa’s national team tested positive after the last round of testing performed yesterday. They, however, did not reveal the name of the player. 

“This decision results from a player from the Proteas team testing positive for COVID-19 after the teams’ last round of testing performed on Thursday ahead of the #BetwayODI series,” the announcement added.

CSA further stated that the decision was taken as a safety precaution by Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of both cricketing boards in the better interest of people.

“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,” it added.

According to the new schedule, the three games are now expected to be played on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. Paarl will host the first fixture while the remaining two will be played in Newlands, Cape Town. 

Read: Dawid Malan leads England to series win against South Africa

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