SLC prepares alternate team to play against India if COVID numbers rise

With another member of the Sri Lanka cricket team coaching staff testing positive for COVID-19 upon the team’s return from a tour of England, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said that in a worst-case scenario, they are preparing an alternate team to face India in the upcoming ODI and T20I series.

Yesterday, SLC announced that the data analyst of the team G.T. Niroshana has tested positive for COVID-19 and is presently undergoing due medical protocols. He is the second support staff member of the team to test positive.

On Thursday, the team’s batting coach Grant Flower tested positive and was isolated from the rest of the team members.

SLC stated that following the identification of Flower as COVID-19 positive, PCR tests were carried out among the national players, coaches and support staff on Thursday, and the results of all the other staff members who went on the tour to England were negative. Meanwhile, SLC Secretary Mohan de Silva said that in the event that there are more positive cases leading up to the first ODI on 13 July, they were preparing to field an alternate team from the squads that are practising in Dambulla and in Colombo and are in a bio-bubble.