Buzz: SA, England ODI series to go ahead

The One-Day International series between South Africa and England will start in Paarl on Sunday after the host's squad returned a full set of negative results in their latest round of coronavirus testing, officials have confirmed.

The series due to start on Friday had been thrown into doubt after a South African player tested positive in the team's bio-secure hotel environment during mandatory testing, with the first match at Newlands postponed an hour before its start.

England expressed concern over the strength of the bio-secure environment after the positive result, while a South African team investigation has not yet shown how the unnamed player caught the virus.

"The entire Proteas team has returned negative results from the COVID-19 tests that were conducted yesterday evening in Cape Town ahead of the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series," Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed in a statement.

The latest positive test was the third for South Africa either before or during the six-match white-ball tour by England that is supplying much-needed revenue for the embattled CSA.

Team doctor Shuaib Manjra admitted they were at a loss to explain how the player contracted the virus in the bio-secure hotel that is shared by South Africa and England.

"We have spoken to the player, looked at security cameras and other information, and we have not been able to date to identify where that source was. But clearly it is cause for concern,” Manjra said in a statement on Friday.

He denied any player had left the team hotel without authorisation.

"I can categorically state that no player is able to leave the hotel environment. The security will not allow the player to leave, unless he is doing so in an assigned, official vehicle."

After Sunday’s opening match in Paarl, there will be further games at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday and Wednesday.

Burns says life in England's bio-secure bubble takes toll

England opener Rory Burns said limits on movement in and out of bio-secure bubbles took a toll on his mental health during the home summer and may restrict his availability for upcoming international tours.

Players have been living in bubbles since international cricket resumed in July after the COVID-19 hiatus, with strict rules enforced to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Burns posted 234 runs in the three tests against West Indies but followed up with just 20 runs across three games against Pakistan.

"Bubble life was different. It's not something I personally enjoyed that much," Burns told London's Evening Standard.

"When I have played my best, it's when cricket's not been the be-all and end-all.

"I like to go for a coffee, see a mate or my missus; refreshing yourself by not thinking cricket -- and that's a lot harder to do in the bubble setting. That was the main challenge for me."

Burns said he may choose to miss England's rescheduled tour of Sri Lanka in January for the birth of his first child.

"I'm waiting to see what the dates are. I don't know them yet, so it's a judgment call closer to the time," he added.

Another England opener, Tom Banton, pulled out of Brisbane Heat's upcoming Big Bash League campaign on Saturday, having struggled to cope with living in a bio-secure environment.

"It has been harder than I thought, spending so much time in the hubs and bubbles, and I came to the realisation that it wasn't doing me much good," Banton said.

Banton is now on England's limited-overs tour of South Africa, during which the first one-day international was postponed after a player for the home side tested positive for the virus.

NZ all-rounder Corey Anderson quits international cricket, signs up with MLC in USA

Plagued by injuries, New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson, who once held the record for fastest ODI hundred, called time on his international career and signed a three-year deal with USA's Major League Cricket (MLC).

The 29-year-old, who has played 13 Tests, 49 ODIs and 31 T20Is for New Zealand, didn't feature in any of Black Caps' assignment for the past two years.

In the 93 international games across formats, he scored 2277 runs with two hundreds and 10 half-centuries. He also picked up 90 wickets.

"It's been a huge honour and (I am) extremely proud to represent New Zealand," Anderson, who holds the record for the fastest ODI century for his 36-ball innings against West Indies in 2013, was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

His 36-ball hundred against West Indies on the New Year's Day in 2014, was the fastest ODI hundred for a year before AB de Villiers' broke the record with a 31-ball feat against the same opposition.

Anderson lamented that he couldn't play more internationals for his country.

"I would have loved to have achieved and played more but just is what it is sometimes, and different opportunities arise and send you in a direction you never thought would be a possibility. Very appreciative for everything that NZC has done for me."

Anderson also played in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore and also was a part of New Zealand's runners-up finish at the 2015 World Cup.

However, his career was affected by multiple injuries, including a spate of stress fractures, groin injuries and chronic back issues. He last played a T20I for New Zealand in November 2018.

"It hasn't been an easy decision. I asked myself several questions. What do I want to do now or what do I want to achieve in the next two years, five years, 10 years?" he said.

"As you get older you think about life a little bit more broadly as well. And obviously, my fiance, Mary Margaret, who's born and raised in America, she's had a massive part to play in that because she's sacrificed so much for me ...

"So, when the opportunity arose, we thought that living in America is the best thing, not only for my cricket, but it's, it's the best thing for both of us in general as well."

Anderson recently featured in the Caribbean Premier League for the Barbados Tridents in August.