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By Zaahier Adams 
14h ago
CAPE TOWN – South Africa cricket team doctor Shuaib Manjra believes the warring organization has “learned invaluable lessons” from the reduced England tour.
The two boards, CSA and the England and Wales Cricket Board, yesterday issued a joint statement canceling the one-day international leg of the tour citing “the mental and physical health and well-being of the players of both teams” due to a series of positive Covid-19 cases.
There have been five positive results since both teams moved into the Vineyard Hotel’s biosecure environment. These include an SA player, two members of the England tour group, and two members of the hotel staff. This first led to the postponement of the first ODI in Newlands on Friday before its cancellation two days later in Paarl.
CSA was faced with an uphill task early on to recreate the multi-million pound ‘bio-bubble’ that saw England host four teams during their summer without any positive test to the best of their ability due to financial constraints facing the local union. . .
Similarly, CSA was aware of the fact that a large number of England players had endured months in bio-bubble environments at home and during the IPL in the United Arab Emirates prior to the series in South Africa.
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It is for these reasons that a biosecure environment was implemented, and not a bio-bubble, which allowed English players to even fit in a few rounds of golf at Boschenmeer in Paarl between matches.
“I think the notion of positive zero is unrealistic and it’s about how you handle it,” Manjra said.
“We have not identified where the positives come from. There may be an argument that there was a violation. But we did our best to balance the mental well-being of the players with strict Covid-19 protocols. I think there are a number of invaluable lessons we have learned from this tour. “
The postponement of England’s ODI series (both boards will now work together to determine when the series can be held in the future) has put the spotlight firmly on CSA’s ability to safeguard players’ health during the remainder. of the international summer. to host Sri Lanka, Australia and Pakistan.
Sri Lanka is supposed to be arriving shortly for a two-game test series to be played at Highveld during the holiday season. The two teams are once again planned to stay together at the Irene Country Club in Centurion, which features an 18-hole golf course, six tennis courts, a bowling alley, squash courts and a driving range.
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However, after the postponement of the England series, CSA could now impose stricter regulations.
“The Sri Lankan series was going to be very different because the hotel is so different,” Manjra said.
“Once again, we were looking to try and balance mental well-being with strict Covid-19 protocols. But now you may need a different approach. “
IOL Sport understands that both boards were locked in tense meetings for the past two days in an attempt to salvage the England tour, and high-level managers in both countries realized the possible precedent now being set with the postponement of the tour .
Additionally, he has believed that the England Professional Cricketers Association, the equivalent of the South African Cricketers Association, Chief Rob Lynch along with England captain Eoin Morgan were key players in the final decision to postpone the tour. .
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