England’s white ball tour of South Africa has been cancelled after two unnamed members of the touring party returned positive coronavirus tests.
Two members of the England camp tested positive for covid-19 on Saturday which led to the cancellation of the second ODI of the series in Paarl.
On Friday, the first game of the series was cancelled after a South African player returned a positive coronavirus test.
Further games scheduled for December 7 and 9 have been cancelled.
The touring party were first tested on Saturday when two members of staff of the hotel in which they were staying tested positive.
England’s dominant 3-0 T20 series win against South Africa went unaffected even though two members of the Protea’s squad tested positive for covid-19.
Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said, “We have always maintained that the welfare of our players and management is paramount.
“We were concerned about the potential impact that recent developments might have on the well being 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 best interest of the players’ welfare.”
Cricket South Africa Acting CEO, Kugandrie Govender stated, “The concern over the mental health impact of recent events on all involved is not one that we as CSA or the ECB take lightly and the decision to postpone the tour is the most responsible and reasonable course of action for us.
“I would like to thank the ECB for the continued positive relations, and we look forward to hosting the England team in the near future.”
The squad are due to fly home on Thursday, but the two members who returned positive tests will have to isolate for a further ten days in the team hotel.
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