Sri Lanka going ahead with its tour of South Africa

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has confirmed going ahead with its tour of South Africa even as England abandoned a three-match series against the Proteas after two players tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a report.

Sri Lanka Cricket, in a joint statement with its South African counterpart, said the two-match Test series will go ahead at Centurian and Johannesburg from Dec. 26.

“The series, which forms part of the ICC World Test Championship, is still on course and the organizations look forward to a successful and competitive clash between two teams that are equally thrilled to return to red-ball action,” the statement said.

It came three days after England’s tour of South Africa was called off after a COVID-19 outbreak among the touring team members.

The decision to call off the England tour followed apparent breaches of the bio-secure environment at the hotel in Cape Town where both teams were staying.

The South African tour will be Sri Lanka’s first international outing since the virus pandemic brought sporting events to a halt since early this year.

The first Test against the Proteas starts on December 26 with the second scheduled to start from Jan. 3.