Mattala (Sri Lanka) (AFP)
The England cricket team returned to Sri Lanka on Sunday to play two tests, officials said, after previous matches were scrapped in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A British Airways charter flight carrying players and support staff has landed at the little-used Rajapaksa International Airport in the south of the island, with the team undergoing rapid antigen testing.
Sri Lanka Cricket said visitors will now be driven to their hotel, which will be banned for foreigners under strict local quarantine regulations.
“During their quarantine period, the England squad will split into two teams and play a training match,” said an SLC official. “No premises will be allowed. “
Joe Root’s team were sprayed with disinfectant on their shoes and luggage before being brought in for coronavirus testing.
The chartered plane has been cleared into Sri Lanka despite a ban on all flights and passengers from the UK following the discovery of a new strain of infectious coronavirus.
The England Cricket Council has confirmed that its players and support staff underwent tests before leaving.
England dropped a tour of Sri Lanka in March on the second day of a training match as the pandemic spread.
They will now play their two tests from January 14 at Galle Stadium without any spectators.
Sri Lanka only had six reported cases when England pulled out in March, but the team returned to an island that now has more than 44,000 infections. 211 died from the virus on Sunday.
© 2021 AFP
–
–
