Colombo: Two members of the Sri Lankan cricket team's support staff, including batting coach Grant Flower, have been affected with Covid-19. The other person to get affected is the team analyst GT Niroshan. The two members are in isolation and have been detected positive after returning from England after playing an ODI and T20I series.
The concerning thing about it is that both of them have been affected by the Delta variant of Covid-19 which is being considered as dangerous. Sri Lanka is bound to play India in a three-match ODI as well as the T20I series starting 13 July. With this news, there are question marks about the series taking place on time.
None of the Sri Lankan players has been affected, so far. But as a precautionary measure, all of the SL players are in quarantine at a hotel in Colombo. The players will undergo two more tests before the start of the series. The first test will be on 11 July, while the second on 12. This means that the Sri Lankan players will have a single practice session before the start of the 1st ODI on 13 July.
As of now, the BCCI does not plan to call off the series but the administration is taking all the precautions to keep the players and support staff safe.
Dasun Shanaka is all set to replace Perera as Sri Lanka's new captain for the series. The development has come after a series of bad performances by the Sri Lankan team. The island nation is yet to win a single series in 2021.
It has been a series of disappointing performances by SL cricketers. SL cricket fans on social media unfollowed the cricketers with the hashtag #UnfollowSLCricketers. Former Sri Lankan legend, Sanath Jayasuriya had expressed his concern over the form that the Sri Lankan team currently is in. The former explosive opener, in a tweet, wrote, "Very sad day for Sri Lankan cricket. The situation is critical. We need immediate measures to save cricket."