English cricket team in South Africa in 2020–21
| English cricket team in South Africa in 2020–21 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | England | ||
| Dates | 27 November – 9 December 2020 | ||
| Captains | Quinton de Kock | Eoin Morgan | |
| One Day International series | |||
| Twenty20 International series | |||
| Results | England won the 3-match series 3–0 | ||
| Most runs | Rassie van der Dussen (136) | Dawid Malan (173) | |
| Most wickets |
Lungi Ngidi (4) Tabraiz Shamsi (4) |
Sam Curran (3) Chris Jordan (3) | |
| Player of the series | Dawid Malan (Eng) | ||
The England cricket team toured South Africa during November and December 2020 to play three One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. However, the ODI matches were called off due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The ODI series would have formed part of the inaugural 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the England team stayed in a bio-secure environment whilst in South Africa, with the matches played in Cape Town and Paarl. In October 2020, Cricket South Africa (CSA) made a plea to its parliament, saying that is of "critical importance", while waiting on government approval for the tour to go ahead. On 21 October 2020, both cricket boards agreed to the series, with the full tour itinerary being confirmed.
England won the first two T20I matches to take an unassailable lead in the series. England won the third match by nine wickets to take the series 3–0, with the victory putting England at the top of the ICC T20I Championship.
The first ODI match, originally scheduled to be played on 4 December, was cancelled less than an hour before it was due to start, after a South African player tested positive for coronavirus. As a result, the fixture was moved back by two days. However, on 6 December, the rescheduled match was abandoned after two members of the hotel staff tested positive for coronavirus. Shortly after the match was called off, two members of England's touring party returned "unconfirmed positive tests" for the virus. Later the same day, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that the second ODI, scheduled for 7 December, would not be played on that date. On 7 December, the remainder of the ODI series was postponed. Both cricket boards agreed to work on hosting the ODI series at another time.