South Africa have had to call in Covid-19 substitutes for the remainder of Port Elizabeth Test against Bangladesh.
South Africa will not have Sarel Erwee and Wiaan Mulder available for the remainder of their second Test against Bangladesh at Port Elizabeth after the duo tested positive for Covid-19.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed the development ahead of Day 4 of the final Test in the two-match series, stating that the duo reported unwell in the morning and were found positive for the contagious virus.
Isolated separately now from the rest of the hosts’ playing squad, Erwee and Mulder have been replaced on Covid-19 grounds with Khaya Zondo and Glenton Stuurman.
CSA has opted to avail the Covid-19 substitution route agreed upon with their Bangladeshi counterparts, BCB, for the series in case of a viral breach. The substitution is also in accordance with the ICC rules amid the pandemic times.
The rest of the South African players tested on the eve of the Test’s penultimate day seems to have returned negative and subsequently, allowed to resume their playing duties.
Eyeing victory to secure a 2-0 whitewash in the Test series, South Africa lost their two main players Erwee, the opening batter, and their premier allrounder Mulder.
While Erwee contributed scores of 24 & 41 in his two innings, Mulder produced knocks of 33 & 39 not out in the Test match. He also picked 3 for 25 in the first-innings with his useful medium fast-bowling.
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Replacing Erwee for the remainder of the fixture is Zondo, the 32-year-old right-hand veteran bat for the Dolphins and KwaZulu Natal. He is making his Test debut after 132 first-class matches under his belt, with 6,230 runs. He has made 13 hundreds in four-day cricket and has been a regular for South Africa’s “A” team.
Stuurman, a right-arm medium-fast bowler, made his Test debut in Christchurch in February during the tour of New Zealand and picked up a solitary wicket.
His debut came about following a highly impressive run at the first-class level. Residing from South Western Districts, the 29-year-old has taken 214 wickets from 57 first-class matches at 22.04, including 14 five-wicket hauls.
