The
two teams had played a Twenty20 series which ended 1-1 while the ODI series in
Florida was interrupted by coronavirus cases first detected amongst the USA
squad and umpires.
“While
all players in both current playing squads have returned negative COVID results
overnight, two members of the Irish support staff have tested positive, as well
as several partners of players, resulting in two of the Irish players being
deemed as ‘close contacts’,” the two boards said in a statement.
“As
such the risks and concerns about further spread have meant that both Boards
have regrettably agreed to cancel the remaining two scheduled matches.”
The
visit of Ireland was the first time the United States had hosted an
International Cricket Council, or ICC, full member nation.
Ireland
are scheduled to tour the Caribbean to face the West Indies in three ODIs and
one T20I in January. They will fly to Kingston, Jamaica on Friday but the two
members who tested positive will complete their isolation in Florida.
“From
a broader perspective, consideration had to be given to the current series as
well as the second leg of our tour,” Cricket Ireland’s high performance
director Richard Holdsworth said.
“We
need to be mindful of travel requirements for entering Jamaica and meeting
Cricket West Indies COVID protocols.”
