The rescheduled first One-Day International (ODI) between South Africa and England has now been called off after two members of staff of the Vineyard Hotel in Paarl tested positive for Covid-19.
The ODI series between South Africa and England had originally been scheduled to start from Friday before it was postponed just one hour before the start of the match as one of the South African team players tested positive.
The first ODI was rescheduled to be played on Sunday instead but with the latest turn of events, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had first decided to delay it before abandoning it altogether.
"Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have agreed to delay the start time for today's [Sunday's] One-Day International match, which is due to take place in Paarl,” an ECB statement had earlier read.
England's first one-day international in South Africa has again been called off because of positive coronavirus tests, this time from two members of hotel staff.
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Interestingly on Saturday, the Proteas camp had reported that all its players had returned with negative results, which meant that the first ODI was supposed to be played as per the revised schedule made on Friday.
This is the fourth such incident on the tour, which might very well lead to the series being abandoned completely.
Since the tour commenced in mid-November, two South African players had tested positive while they were in the bio-bubble. One of them tested Covid-19 positive before the three-game T20 series while the other tested for the virus before the first ODIs.
Additionally, one Proteas cricketer tested positive before South Africa and England went into a 10-day quarantine period at their Cape Town hotel that they shared before the start of the series.
