A South African player has tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the upcoming limited-overs series against England.
The player and two others considered to be close contacts by South African team medical staff have all been placed in isolation in Cape Town. All are asymptomatic but doctors will continue to monitor them, Cricket South Africa said in a statement on Wednesday.
CSA said about 50 tests were carried out on players and support staff before entering their biosecure base in Cape Town ahead of back-to-back series against England, due to start on November 27 with the first of three T20Is, followed by three ODIs. All matches will be played between Newlands and Paarl.
“One player has returned a positive test result and two players were considered close contacts based on the risk assessment undertaken by the medical team,” the statement said. “All three players have been placed in immediate isolation in Cape Town as part of the COVID-19 protocols. While all players are asymptomatic, CSA’s medical team will monitor them to ensure their health and well-being.
“At this stage, none of these players will be replaced for the tour, but two replacement players will be included into the squad for the purposes of the inter-squad practice matches that will be played on Saturday, 21 November.”
England’s squad have arrived in South Africa to begin their preparations and will play a 50-over warm-up on Saturday in Cape Town. An ECB spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that all Covid-19 tests carried out on the England squad members had returned negative results.