India tour of Sri Lanka in jeopardy with rise in COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka
A few days back, Sourav Ganguly, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the Indian team will be travelling to Sri Lanka in July for a limited-overs series. As per Sri Lanka Cricket’s proposed itinerary to the BCCI, the tour is scheduled to start with a three-match One Day series on July 13, 16, and 19.
The One Day series will be followed by three T20 Internationals that will be hosted on July 22, 24, and 27. SLC has decided to host all the matches at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in a bio-secure bubble to ensure the safety of the players and other members involved in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
However, it is now learned that there is a threat looming over the limited-overs series. There has been a horrifying upsurge in the daily number of positive coronavirus cases reported in Sri Lanka. On Thursday, the Island nation reported as many as 3,269 positive cases along with 24 deaths.
An increase in Covid-19 cases is a big worry: Sri Lanka Cricket
Adding to the misery, the tally of the past week reads 16342 positive cases and 147 deaths. The rapid spread of the deadly virus in the Island nation can put the India tour of Sri Lanka in jeopardy. Sri Lanka Cricket officials are also worried about the cancellation of the Indian tour as Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) CEO Ashley De Silva admitted that Covid-19 cases are a matter of concern.
However, the CEO is confident that despite the increase in positive coronavirus cases, Sri Lanka will be able to successfully host India. “Increase in Covid-19 cases are a big worry but we have successfully hosted England and others during Covid times and we are confident we will be able to host India as well, just keeping fingers crossed that cases don’t increase”, said Senior representative of Sri Lanka Cricket to InsideSport.co.
Meanwhile, as per the original Future Tour Programme (FTP) by the International Cricket Council (ICC), India was scheduled to host Sri Lanka in 2020 but the tournament was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
