NEW THREAT TO SRI LANKA TOUR
ENGLAND’S tour of Sri Lanka was thrown into further doubt last night by the new strain of the coronavirus discovered in South Africa. Seven members of England’s Test squad due to leave for Hambantota on January 2 and four coaches only returned from the aborted tour of South Africa 13 days ago. Those players — Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Mark Wood, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler — and coaches Chris Silverwood, Paul Collingwood, Jon Lewis and James Foster have been granted exemption from the new quarantine measures. But the situation is complicated by the fact that Sri Lanka are in South Africa for two Tests starting in Centurion on Boxing Day. They are due to arrive home only six days before the first Test against England on January 14. ‘The ECB can confirm those team members and support staff who returned on December 10 from South Africa have been following the Elite Sports International guidance concerning activity in the UK,’ said the ECB. ‘They have undergone ongoing symptom and testing checks and will not need to quarantine. The squad will continue to prepare and the ECB will monitor the situation in respect of international travel.’ There was already concern in Sri Lanka, where there has been a robust approach to the pandemic since England originally abandoned their tour in March, about hosting them again now because of the Covid variant that emerged in south-east England.