Pretorius out of England series, as Proteas await results of latest Covid tests

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Thursday that the Proteas have returned no further positive Covid-19 results following a third round of testing since their arrival in Cape Town ahead of the limited-overs tour by England starting on Friday.

The two players who tested positive last week were not part of the tested group and remain in isolation and are being monitored closely. They are progressing well and are in good health, CSA said in a statement.

The South African team did their final round of testing on Thursday morning with the expectation of receiving results later in the evening – an update will be provided when the results are confirmed.

The inbound tour will consist of a three-match, T20 International and three-match, One-Day International (ODI) Series in Cape Town and Paarl.

Meanwhile, in other news from the squad, all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius has been ruled out of both the T20 as well as the ODI series’ due to a hamstring injury.

The injury was picked up during a team practice session at Newlands and is expected to take three to four weeks to heal.

No replacement will be named.

South Africa A team coach Malibongwe Maketa has also joined the Proteas camp as extra cover to assist the team in their preparations.

The national team will go into the series without any proper match practice behind them following the cancellation of their intra-squad match last week because of the Covid cases. England, meanwhile, have played two matches since their arrival in South Africa.

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