Sri Lanka batting coach Grant Flower could face disciplinary action (pending inquiry) for reportedly breaching the bio-bubble in England, reported news agency AFP.
The former Zimbabwe opener was the first in the Sri Lanka camp to test positive for Covid-19 ahead of the India limited-overs series. Flower tested positive on July 6 after returning from England.
Two other positive cases - one of Sri Lanka's data analyst and then a player in the alternate squad - forced the Sri Lanka Cricket Board and BCCI to postpone the ODI series from July 13 to July 18.
Three Sri Lankan players, including vice-captain Kusal Mendis, were sent home early after they left the team's bio-secure hotel for a night out in Durham ahead of the first one-day international. The three cricketers - Mendis, Kusal Perera and Danushka Gunathilaka were suspended for a year by SLC.
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It now appears that they were not the only ones who breached the bubble. Official sources said SLC will investigate reports that Flower also breached the Covid-19 restrictions in England.
"An inquiry will be held after he (Flower) recovers fully," a board source told AFP. "There are allegations that he also breached the bio-secure bubble."
{{/usCountry}}"An inquiry will be held after he (Flower) recovers fully," a board source told AFP. "There are allegations that he also breached the bio-secure bubble."
{{/usCountry}}Media reports said the board was also unhappy with the performance of Flower, a former Zimbabwe Test player who is under contract until the end of the year.
Sri Lanka are eighth in the Test team rankings and ninth in one-day formats and team morale is reportedly low. The players have been at loggerheads with the board over new performance-linked contracts.
The board has brought in local coach Dhammika Sudarshana as a temporary replacement for Flower for three one-day games and three Twenty20 matches against India starting Sunday.
The India matches were delayed by five days to July 18 following positive tests by Flower and a team's data analyst.
(With AFP inputs)