Dawid Malan says England’s touring players are acutely aware of the need to stay Covid safe after a South Africa player tested positive for the virus.
England and South Africa are both based at the Vineyard Hotel – albeit in separate bubbles – in Cape Town ahead of the white-ball tour which begins on November 29.
South Africa revealed last night that one player had tested positive for coronavirus and was self-isolating. Two more players are self-isolating having come into close contact with him. All three players were asymptomatic.
The result does not impact England, who trained for a second time at Newlands today. All their test results so far have been negative.
“It is [in everybody’s minds],” said Malan. “We have all the rules in place and we are sticking to them as a squad. We know how important us being here is and the tour is. So anything we can do to minimise the risk, we are making sure we are doing that. We can’t afford three or four people going down.”
Malan admitted that being back in the Western Cape felt like being at home. He was born in London but grew up in Paarl, where two matches on the tour will be played.
“It is,” he said. "I would say when we go to Paarl, that will be going home. That’s where I made my first-class debut, even though it was the amateur system, where I did all my school cricket, where I was taught about the game. Going to Paarl will be going home.”
