England End Sri Lanka Cricket Tour Over Virus
Zeeshan Mehtab Published March 13, 2020 | 05:37 PM
England's cricket team abruptly pulled out of a tour of Sri Lanka on Friday over the "unprecedented" crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic
Colombo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Mar, 2020 ) :England's cricket team abruptly pulled out of a tour of Sri Lanka on Friday over the "unprecedented" crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
A practice match in Colombo was halted as the team announced they would be flying back to London, and the first of two Test matches due to start on March 19 has been indefinitely postponed.
"At this time, the physical and mental wellbeing of our players and support teams is paramount," said an England and Wales Cricket board statement announcing the end of the tour.
"We will now look to bring them home to their families as soon as possible. These are completely unprecedented times, and decisions like this go beyond cricket." The four-day practice game against a Sri Lankan Board President's XI side was halted near the end of the second day.
England were fielding when captain Joe Root came on to call the players off.
The match attracted few spectators. Only a handful of England fans and a dozen locals were at the grounds to watch the two teams ahead of the first Test in Galle.
Root made it clear this week that players had been told to take extra precautions and not have contact with fans or members of the opposing team.
"It is against our nature as a team, we quite like to socialise and interact with fans and take selfies, autographs and stuff. But it means that we can't do that on this trip," Root told reporters on Wednesday.
There were no handshakes between the teams before the practice game.
Sri Lanka has reported just three coronavirus cases since the start of the crisis which has left more than 4,300 dead around the world.
"We were told that England wants to return because of the threat of the coronavirus," a Sri Lankan cricket official told AFP.
Recent Stories
SC orders end of encroachments in Karachi
Nazish Jahangir denies viral screenshots, calls them fake
Govt likely to hike electricity price once again
Bismah Maroof announces immediate retirement from international cricket
Malala expresses unwavering support for Gaza people
Selection committee dissolved over Pakistan women cricket team's poor performanc ..
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz in police uniform at Chung police center
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 25 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 25 April 2024
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
More Stories From Sports
-
IOC Refugees Olympic Team to be announced on May 2
1 hour ago -
Bismah Maroof announces immediate retirement from international cricket
2 hours ago -
Norman sees Adelaide success as blueprint for all LIV Golf events
3 hours ago -
Mohsin Naqvi reconstitutes women’s selection committee
3 hours ago -
Selection committee dissolved over Pakistan women cricket team's poor performance
5 hours ago -
Paris holds its breath for Olympic swimming events in murky Seine
7 hours ago
-
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
17 hours ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
17 hours ago -
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
17 hours ago -
Watford hire Cleverley as permanent boss
17 hours ago -
Karachi, Lahore, Multan win matches of National Women’s Cricket Tournament
17 hours ago -
No communication gap among players, asserts Babar Azam
17 hours ago