Three South Africa players isolating after positive Covid-19 test ahead of England series

Cape Town will host the series opener on 27 November

Newlands Cricket Stadium will host the first match of the series (AFP)

South Africa have been hit by a positive coronavirus test which has forced three players to isolate, damaging valuable preparation time ahead of the white-ball series against England.

For the series to take place, both squads are entering a bio-secure base in Cape Town, where almost 50 tests were taken ahead of three Twenty20 Internationals and three ODIs.

But the Proteas have confirmed three members of their team have been taken out due to one contracting the virus and two being deemed close contacts and therefore a risk.

"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," Cricket South Africa (CSA) said in a statement on Wednesday.

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"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."

The three were not identified.

South Africa have not named any replacement but two new players will join the group for the inter-squad practice matches on Saturday.

The series, which will be played behind closed doors, gets underway with the first Twenty20 match in Cape Town on Nov. 27.

Reuters

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