The first ODI between South Africa and England, which was postponed on Friday due to a SA player testing positive for coronavirus hours before the start of the game, was called off again on Sunday.
Cape Town| The first ODI between South Africa and England, which was postponed on Friday due to a SA player testing positive for coronavirus hours before the start of the game, was called off again on Sunday..
“Today’s #SAvENG ODI in Paarl has been abandoned,” reported ESPNCricInfo.
BREAKING: Today's #SAvENG ODI in Paarl has been abandoned. pic.twitter.com/tmCHxLEV8p
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 6, 2020
Earlier on Friday, it was reported that the schedule of 3-ODI series has been worked around (date for the 3rd ODI remains unchanged) and is to be held on new dates, that is Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, instead of Friday, Sunday, and Wednesday. However, the match was called off on Sunday as well.
The reason behind the cancellation of today’s match is still not clear, however, some reports suggested that two of the hotel staff members tested positive for Covid-19.
After the match postponement on Friday, the CSA and ECB had issued a joint statement. They said: “England Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) have announced the postponement of the 1st One-Day International of the three-match series to Sunday 6 December 2020. This decision results from a player from the Proteas team testing positive for COVID-19 after the teams’ last round of scheduled testing performed on Thursday ahead of the ODIs.”
“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 further read.
However, there was no statement regarding the cancellation of the Sunday’s match from both the boards till this report was being made.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
