South Africa vs England: First ODI postponed after player from Proteas' squad tests positive for COVID-19

The first cricket one-day international between South Africa and England was postponed Friday after another player tested positive for the coronavirus in the host team’s secure bio-bubble. The South African player wasn’t named. [caption id=“attachment_9081281” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Cricket South Africa and the England and Wales Cricket Board said the decision was made “in the interests of the safety and well-being of both teams, match officials and all involved in the match.” AP[/caption] The game, the first of three ODIs, was postponed from Friday to Sunday, the two cricket federations said. Cricket South Africa and the England and Wales Cricket Board said the decision was made “in the interests of the safety and well-being of both teams, match officials and all involved in the match.” The CEOs of both boards, Kugandrie Govender of CSA and Tom Harrison of the ECB, agreed to the postponement. The player is the third South African player to test positive during the England tour, which began in mid-November. One player tested positive for the virus before the teams went into the bubble at a Cape town hotel, while a second tested positive in the bubble and before the recent Twenty20 series. England won that series 3-0. The latest positive came from a round of testing conducted on players on Thursday, CSA said. Both teams are staying in the same hotel. England’s limited-overs tour was organised at short-notice to fill gaps left in both countries’ schedules because of the virus. Both sets of players had to be in quarantine at the hotel for 10 days before the games, and were only allowed to leave to train and play matches. England’s touring party hasn’t announced any positive tests. South Africa is showing signs of being affected by a second wave of the virus and President Cyril Ramaphosa announced new lockdown restrictions for parts of the country on Thursday. The Western Cape province where the cricket games are being played is one of the regions that has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. The re-scheduled ODI series will mean that the teams play back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday. England’s tour finishes with the third ODI on Wednesday. The opening game will now be at Boland Park in the nearby city of Paarl, while Cape Town will host the last two ODIs.