by Rex Clementine

Sri Lanka could end up not playing any international cricket at all this year after Ministry of Health put up strict health guidelines for visiting teams to resume cricket. SLC was expected to host Bangladesh for three Test matches later next month and had identified Pallekele and SSC as the two venues as well for the games. However, the tourists have opposed the two week quarantine requirement demanded by the Health Ministry.

While Bangladesh Cricket Board had indicated that their players are willing to do seven days of quarantine, they have said no to two weeks of quarantine.

SLC officials were hopeful that the Health Ministry will be able to make some concessions. What they were looking at  is to let players do one week of quarantine and then get them into a ‘bubble’ whereby they can do training and get ready for the series, a protocol followed in England when Australia, Pakistan and  West Indies toured the country for  bilateral cricket.

SLC was awaiting feedback from BCB and then will hold discussions with Health Ministry officials to draft safety guidelines more acceptable.  Cricket officials, however, accepted the fact that when the government had done well in combating the pandemic, they had to respect the demands to keep the deadly decease at bay.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s tour of South Africa is also in jeopardy owing to different reasons. South Africa Olympic Committee has taken over functions of Cricket South Africa creating uncertainties. While SLC said that they were hopeful the tour would go ahead, sources privy to bilateral ties said that the series may be postponed as government intervention will get South Africa into troubles with ICC.  

All in all there is a possibility that Sri Lanka will not play any international cricket for the rest of the year although SLC was desperate to resume bilateral cricket at the earliest.

So far, cricket tours by England, South Africa and India to the island have been postponed due to COVID-19. Bangladesh were set to tour in July but the series was pushed back to October. Sri Lanka was also scheduled to host the Asia Cup this year but that too has been indefinitely postponed.

The Lanka Premier League for which SLC has put in lot of effort is set to continue and SLC has announced that several international stars will take part in the event.