England ODI series in South Africa postponed over mental health fears

CAPE TOWN (Reuters): 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 announcement 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 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 future,” the statement added.

The 50-over matches had been scheduled to get underway last Friday, with the final game in the series set for Wednesday. The teams did manage to play a three-match Twenty20 series prior to the ODI games, which England won 3-0.

The news will be a massive financial blow to the already-embattled CSA and also casts doubt on their ability to host the planned future tours, with Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Australia all set to play in the country in the coming months.