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England’s tour of South Africa has been abandoned after several positive tests for coronavirus.
A South African player and two hotel staff members tested positive, while England say two members of their party gave “unconfirmed positive tests.”
A three-game Twenty20 series was completed, which England won 3-0, but a three-game one-day series was postponed.
A statement said the tour had been abandoned to “ensure the mental and physical health and well-being of the players on both teams.”
England is still waiting for the ratification of its positive tests.
That will not come before Tuesday at the earliest and tourists will not leave South Africa before receiving the independent clarification.
The Cricket Board of England and Wales (ECB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) said they will seek to reprogram the ODI, which is part of the International Cricket Council Super League.
ECB Chief Executive Tom Harrison said: “We have always held that the well-being of our players and leadership is paramount.
“We were concerned about the potential impact that recent events could have on the well-being of the touring group, so after consulting with Cricket South Africa, we have made a joint decision to postpone the remaining matches of this series, in the best interest of the welfare of the players “.
CSA Acting Executive Director Kugandrie Govender said: “Concern about the mental health impact of recent events on everyone involved is not something that we, as the CSA or the ECB, take lightly, and the Deciding to postpone the tour is the most responsible and reasonable course of action for us. “
England also issued a statement rejecting any suggestion that the use of nets in Newlands was a factor in the outbreak, saying that their decision to practice with nets came as a result of the “unacceptable” installations in Cape Town.
England used the networks on Thursday, the day before Friday’s first ODI, which was canceled after a South African player tested positive for coronavirus.
The nets are next to a construction site at the end of the Kelvin Road lot and were not designated for use during the series.
“Upon our arrival in Newlands on December 3, we informed the venue that the three nets provided in the main field were not of a standard for conducive practice,” said a statement from England.
“The batsmen were unable to take on the stitching bowlers in the main field nets as the surfaces were plastered and unacceptable.
“We asked Cricket South Africa that we would like to use the practice nets and that we would create a security cordon to ensure that players and coaches could enter the facility safely, as was previously done on November 28.
“This was confirmed by the England safety team, the team’s chief operating officer and the team doctor. We are satisfied with this result and were able to practice on the net safely.
“The team also used the main field for fielding drills, a seam bowling toss and various nets were used for range shots against bowlers and coaches’ throws.
“When it comes to the England tour, the safety and health of our players and coaches was not compromised.”
As of Monday morning, the two anonymous members of England’s party who tested positive for Covid-19 were isolating themselves in their rooms at their Cape Town hotel.
While there was a time on Sunday when all players and staff were isolated, those with negative tests were able to use the open spaces of the hotel grounds on Monday.
The hotel is part of the ‘bubble’ in which the series was developed, from which the players only came out to train and play.
All three matches of the T20 series were unaffected, despite two South African players testing positive for coronavirus and two others being placed in isolation.
The first one-day international match on Friday was called off when it emerged that an unidentified South African player had tested positive.
A subsequent round of testing at the South African camp yielded negative results across the team, with all three ODIs scheduled to take place on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday.
However, after two hotel staff members tested positive on Saturday, England’s game was examined as a precautionary measure.
After Sunday’s game was canceled 30 minutes before the scheduled start, England announced that two members of its touring group had tested positive.
At the time, England said a decision would be made on the rest of the series’ matches after the positive tests had been independently ratified.
However, Monday’s game was canceled on Sunday and the tour was abandoned the next day.
This was England’s first trip abroad since its Sri Lankan tour was abandoned in March due to the spread of the pandemic.
The England men’s team was able to fulfill their entire summer schedule at home by playing matches in a bio-safe environment at the Manchester and Southampton fields.
They are due to tour Sri Lanka and India in the new year, with the Sri Lankan team leaving the UK on January 2.
