England's One-day International series against South Africa has been called off in the wake of breaches in the team's bio-secure bubble, according to Sky Sports.
Hours ahead of the first ODI on Sunday, it was learnt that two members of staff of the hotel where the two teams were staying had tested positive for COVID-19. The series was under threat after a South African player and two 'potential' England players were tested positive for the novel virus.
The three-game ODI series was restructured and it was decided that the first match will be played on Sunday, followed by the second and third games on Monday and Wednesday respectively.
The first ODI was initially postponed but it was ultimately cancelled after a lot of rescheduling, putting the white-ball series in jeopardy. All six white-ball games were scheduled to be played Cape Town and Paarl to limit travel for players and officials.
"The decision has been taken by Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) whilst they await the outcome of the independent ratification of the two unconfirmed positive COVID-19 tests from the England camp and the continued health and wellbeing of both playing groups," CSA had said in a statement on Sunday.
The subsequent ODI, slated to start on Monday in Capetown, was also postponed after two unconfirmed cases emerged in the England camp. England players and management were self-isolating in their hotel rooms until further advice from medical teams, the ECB said in a statement.
The three T20Is were played as scheduled but the ODI series has now been cancelled in the wake of multiple COVID-19 cases. The cancellation of the series comes in as a major blow for Cricket South Africa (CSA), who was eyeing to rekindle a dreadful year.
