Published 16:48 IST, December 5th 2020
All South Africa players 'reported negative' ahead of Sunday's 1st ODI against England
All the players of the South African team have been 'reported negative' ahead of Sunday's 1st ODI against England that will be played at the Boland Park
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All the players of the South African team have reported negative after undergoing COVID-19 tests and they will be taking the field in the first ODI against England that will be played at the Boland Park in Paarl on Sunday. This has been confirmed by Cricket Australia on their official Twitter handle.
Just in: All South Africa players have reported negative COVID19 Tests, and the ODI series v England will begin Sunday #SAvENG https://t.co/YBbjnNgyHu
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 5, 2020
SA vs Eng: 1st ODI schedule revised
The COVID-19 pandemic had made its first major disruption to a bilateral series in cricket, with the South Africa Cricket board announcing the postponement of the South Africa vs England ODI series due to begin on Friday, December 4.
In a first of its kind incident, the SA vs ENG 1st ODI has been pushed back from its originally scheduled starting date of December 4, to Sunday, December 6 after a player from the South African camp tested positive for the Coronavirus. Both the South Africa Cricket Board and the English Cricket Board announced that they had taken the decision unanimously, "In the interests of the safety and well-being of both teams, match officials, and all involved in the match".
This decision results from a player from the Proteas team testing positive for COVID-19 after the teams’ last round of scheduled testing performed on Thursday ahead of the #BetwayODI series.#SAvENG
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 4, 2020
SA vs ENG news: Amended ODI series dates
The amended tour dates for South Africa vs England ODI series have been announced as follows:
Sunday, December 6, 2020 – 1st ODI, Eurolux Boland Park, Paarl (Day Match)
Monday, December 7, 2020 – 2nd ODI, Six Gun Grill Newlands, Cape Town (Day-night Match)
Wednesday, December 9, 2020 – 3rd ODI, Six Gun Grill Newlands, Cape Town (Day-night Match)
Who will dominate in 50-overs format?
The South Africans had suffered a 0-3 whitewash in the game's shortest format as they were comprehensively outplayed by the current top-ranked T20I side in all departments. The focus now shifts towards the three-match ODI series where the Quinton de Kock-led side would be hoping to stage a remarkable comeback.
At the same time, it will also be interesting to see whether the reigning ODI world champions will be able to repeat their T20I series heroics in the 50-overs format and ensure total dominance in the limited-overs format.
16:48 IST, December 5th 2020