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CAPE TOWN: The one-day international series between South Africa and England will begin in Paarl on Sunday after the host team returned a full set of negative results in its latest round of coronavirus testing, authorities confirmed.
The series that was due to start on Friday had been called into question after a South African player tested positive around the team’s biosecure hotel during mandatory testing, with the first game in Newlands postponed an hour before kickoff.
England expressed concern about the strength of the biosecure environment after the positive result, while an investigation by the South African team has yet to show how the unidentified player contracted the virus.
“The entire Proteas team has returned negative results from COVID-19 tests that were conducted last night in Cape Town ahead of the three-game One-Day International (ODI) series,” Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed in a statement.
The latest positive test was the third for South Africa, either before or during England’s six-game white ball tour that is providing much-needed revenue for the beleaguered CSA.
The team doctor, Shuaib Manjra, admitted that they could not explain how the player contracted the virus at the biosecure hotel that South Africa and England share.
“We have spoken with the player, we have looked at security cameras and other information, and to date we have not been able to identify where that source was. But clearly it is cause for concern,” Manjra said in a statement on Friday.
He denied that any player had left the team hotel without authorization.
“I can state categorically that no player can leave the hotel environment. Security will not allow the player to leave, unless they do so in an assigned official vehicle.”
After Sunday’s opening game at Paarl, there will be more games at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday and Wednesday.
