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India-SL series rescheduled after Covid cases in Sri Lanka camp
Although, Sri Lanka cricket has made arrangements for a back-up squad, the depth in Sri Lankan cricket could be tested should the need arise
The start of India’s limited overs tour of Sri Lanka is likely to be pushed back to September 17 following two Covid positive cases in the Sri Lankan squad that returned from England. Following consultations between Sri Lanka cricket and BCCI on Friday, this decision was arrived at to allow four more days of quarantine time for Sri Lankan players and ensure no risk of transmission to the visiting Indians.
Sri Lanka’s tour of England concluded on July 4 in England, after which 7 England cricketers returned positive on July 7. Subsequently, Sri Lanka’s batting coach Grant Flower and team analyst’s Covid tests have tested positive on July 8 and 9, respectively.
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As per the revised schedule discussed between the two boards which will be announced soon, the 6-match white-ball series comprising of 3 ODI’s and 3 T20I’s is now likely to be played between September 17-27 instead of September 13-25.
The series postponement would also allow the Sri Lankan team which has been quarantining indoors, some more training time in lead up to the series. The Indian team after their arrival in Sri Lanka on June 29 underwent 3 days of hard quarantine, 3 days of phased out training before beginning team training activities and intra-squad matches.
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The Indian Test team is currently in England with the Test series beginning on August 5. Resultantly, the revised dates in Sri Lanka would not result in any scheduling clash for the broadcasters. BCCI is experimenting with a parallel cricket tour for the first time after 1998 when one Indian team played in the Commonwealth games in Malaysia while another team was facing off against Pakistan for the Sahara Cup in Canada.
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As a contingency, SLC have made arrangements for two set of players to quarantine in Colombo and Dambulla separately, if an entire squad has to stand in for the main squad. But in such a scenario unlike India, the depth in Sri Lankan cricket could be truly tested. The series holds significant importance financially for SLC who are expecting around R 90 crores from broadcast rights and sponsorships.
