SA vs ENG: 1st ODI called-off after South Africa player tests positive for COVID-19

The 1st ODI between England and South Africa, originally scheduled to be held in Cape Town on Friday, December 4, has been postponed after a SA player tested positive for coronavirus hours before the start of the game. The 3-match ODI series follows the recently concluded T20I series which England won by a margin of 3-0 on December 1.

The schedule for the 3-match ODI series has now 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. The revamp is possible since the venue for the 1st and 3rd ODI were originally the same - Newlands in Cape



Town.

"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," a joint statement from CSA and ECB read.

"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 added.