England's South Africa ODI series postponed due to Covid outbreak

Cape Town:CSA and the ECB have confirmed that the ODI series between the sides has been postponed due to Covid outbreak.

Both boards stressed the importance they place on the health and well-being of their players and staff, and they decided jointly to end the tour without any further games. The sides are now exploring possible future dates for the series, which was set to kick off South Africa's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League campaign.

"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 the best interest of the players' welfare," ECB's CEO Tom Harrison said. 

CSA's Acting CEO Kugandrie Govender made comments echoing those of Harrison, saying: "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."

England claimed the preceding T20I series 3-0 before a positive test for COVID-19 from a South Africa player resulted in the postponement of the first ODI on Friday, December 4. A pair of unconfirmed positive tests, this time from the England camp, caused the rescheduled first ODI on Sunday, December 6 to be cancelled.

Sri Lanka are scheduled to arrive in South Africa later this month, with the sides starting a two-match World Test Championship series on Saturday, December 26.(UNI)