The re-scheduled first One-day International between South Africa and England was abandoned on Sunday after a new Covid-19 scare.

Cricket South Africa said the England players and management underwent an additional round of tests on Saturday evening after two members of staff at their hotel tested positive for the virus. This led to a delay in the start of the match (which was originally meant to be held on Friday).

The England and Wales Cricket Board later informed that, from the resultant tests, two members of the England touring party have returned unconfirmed positive tests for Covid-19.

“The visiting players and management are now self-isolating in their rooms until further advice from the medical teams,” the ECB statement said.

The medical advice from both the CSA and ECB teams was that the match on Sunday could not go ahead. A decision on the remaining matches in the ODI series will be taken once the results of the tests are ratified independently by medical experts, the ECB release said.

Earlier, the CSA statement said the start of the match in Paarl would be delayed while the England party awaited the results of the tests.

But soon after television coverage started, commentator Mark Nicholas said he had just received news that the match had been cancelled.

No further details were immediately available, but former England captain Mike Atherton, now a commentator and journalist, said he feared the entire series could be under threat.

Atherton said the new positive cases had “ramped up” the concern that the England camp already felt after the opening match, originally scheduled to be played in Cape Town last Friday, had been postponed because one of the South African players had tested positive.

“Certainly this match is off and I would be pessimistic about the other games,” said Atherton.

Earlier, the ODI were rescheduled for Sunday after an unnamed South African player tested positive Thursday despite staying in a “bio bubble”. Originally, the series was due to begin in Cape Town Friday, but the match was postponed just one hour before the scheduled start after the revelation of the positive test.

However, the three-match series got a green light for Sunday after entire South African cricket squad has tested negative.

Two other South African players tested positive before the Twenty20 series between South Africa and England, which finished this week with the tourists winning 3-0.

While South African players are experiencing life in a “bubble” for the first time, England hosted teams from the West Indies, Pakistan and Australia in similar environments without anyone being infected.

With AFP Inputs