Positive COVID test forces SA v ENG postponement

South Africa's 50-over series against England has been thrown into disarray, with the first match of the ODI campaign postponed only hours before it was due to start after a Proteas player tested positive for COVID-19.

The South African player was not named.

Cricket South Africa issued a statement on Friday evening (Australian eastern time) confirming a player had tested positive during scheduled testing on Thursday.

That was hardly an hour before the first ODI was supposed to get underway in Cape Town. CSA have now postponed the game to Sunday with the match now to be played in nearby Paarl on Sunday.

Both teams are staying in the same hotel.

Cricket South Africa and the England and Wales Cricket Board said the decision was made "in the interests of the safety and well-being of both teams, match officials and all involved in the match."

The CEOs of both boards, Kugandrie Govender of CSA and Tom Harrison of the ECB, agreed to the postponement.

The second and third ODIs in Cape Town are set to follow on Monday and Wednesday.

The player is the third South African player to test positive during the England tour, which began in mid-November.

One player tested positive for the virus before the teams went into the bubble at a Cape town hotel, while a second tested positive in the bubble and before the recent Twenty20 series.

England won that series 3-0. The limited-overs tour was organised at short-notice to fill gaps left in both countries' schedules because of the virus.

Both sets of players had to be in quarantine at the hotel for 10 days before the games, and were only allowed to leave to train and play matches.

England's touring party hasn't announced any positive tests.

South Africa is showing signs of being affected by a second wave of the virus and President Cyril Ramaphosa announced new lockdown restrictions for parts of the country on Thursday.

The Western Cape province where the cricket games are being played is one of the regions that has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

The re-scheduled ODI series will mean that the teams play back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday.

England's tour finishes with the third ODI on Wednesday.

- with AP