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CAPE TOWN: Sunday's One Day International between South Africa and England in Paarl has been abandoned after two hotel workers in the teams' bio-secure environment tested positive for the coronavirus, match host broadcaster SuperSport reported. The start of the game was initially delayed while officials waited for the results of a new round of testing from the England camp, before the decision was made to cancel the game altogether, SuperSport reported. The remainder of the series is scheduled for matches at Newlands on Monday and Wednesday. It is the fourth COVID-19 related incident on the six-match white-ball tour, two of which occurred in the South Africa camp before the matches started. It is the second involving a bio-secure environment. The tour is providing much-needed revenue for embattled Cricket South Africa, who have already had to cut short a tour of India, and missed out on trips to Sri Lanka and the West Indies due to the coronavirus. South Africa and … [Read more...] about First ODI between South Africa, England abandoned after positive COVID-19 cases – SuperSport

CAPE TOWN: Cricket South Africa (CSA) is confident in its COVID-19 protocols despite the postponement of the One-Day International series against England, with interim board chairman Zak Yacoob describing the tourists as having a negative attitude. Yacoob said the postponement of the three match series, at England's request, had caused CSA reputational damage and warned the body would defend itself against "lies" as to the reasons behind the cancellation. The ECB said in a joint statement with CSA on Monday that the decision to postpone the tour was over concerns about the "physical and mental wellbeing" of the touring party. An unnamed South Africa player and two hotel staff members contracted COVID-19 inside the bio-secure environment. Two members of the England touring party initially returned positive test results as well, but these were later cleared as negative. "The fact is that they (the England team) were very negative," Yacoob told reporters on Thursday, … [Read more...] about Cricket-South Africa has faith in COVID-19 protocols despite ‘negative’ England

CAPE TOWN: England’s One-Day International series against South Africa has been postponed amid concerns over the mental and physical health of the players, Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a joint statement on Monday. The anouncement comes after the players were subjected to a number of COVID-19 scares with potentially five cases inside the teams' bio-secure environment in Cape Town, with one South Africa player and two hotel staff confirmed as positive. Two members of the England tour party also have "unconfirmed positive results" that require further investigation, the ECB said on Sunday. "The decision (to postpone the series) was taken jointly by the two Boards to ensure the mental and physical health and welfare of players from both teams," the statement added. "The CSA and ECB will now work together to determine when the three-match series, which forms part of the ICC Cricket Men’s Super League, can take place in the … [Read more...] about England ODI series in South Africa postponed over mental health fears

CAPE TOWN: England's Jonny Bairstow bludgeoned a brilliant unbeaten 86 from 48 balls as the tourists chased down 180 to beat South Africa by five wickets with four balls to spare on a slow wicket in the first Twenty20 International at Newlands on Friday. Sent into bat, South Africa posted a respectable 179 for six in their 20 overs, before claiming early wickets to have England in trouble in their reply. But Bairstow, batting in an unfamiliar number four position, led the fightback as he sat deep in his crease and smashed nine fours and four sixes with the kind of exquisite timing few other batsmen found on the day. The win will be pleasing for captain Eoin Morgan, who said this week he did not know his best XI in the shortest format but could already have had some questions answered ahead of the second fixture in the three-match series in Paarl on Sunday. South Africa’s innings was anchored by the experienced Faf du Plessis (58 from 40 balls), who was especially brutal on … [Read more...] about Cricket: Brilliant Bairstow guides England to victory in first T20 v South Africa

CAPE TOWN: South Africa will tour Pakistan next month for the first time in 13 years to play two tests and three Twenty20 Internationals, officials confirmed on Wednesday. The five-day matches form part of the ICC Test Championship and will be staged in Karachi (Jan. 26-30) and Rawalpindi (Feb. 4-8), before T20 fixtures at the same venues and Lahore, ending on Feb. 14. International cricket has returned to Pakistan in the past 15 months following a militant attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009 that killed six policemen and two civilians. The country has hosted Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe since September 2019, while England recently announced a short two-match 20-over series in October next year in the build-up to the T20 World Cup in India. "It’s pleasing to see so many countries making a return to Pakistan – a proud, cricket-loving nation," South Africa’s director of cricket, Graeme Smith, said in a statement. "I would like to thank the Pakistan … [Read more...] about South Africa to make historic Pakistan return for test, T20 series