Sri Lanka vs England 2020: ECB cancels Sri Lanka tour owing to coronavirus threat

What's the story?

The England Cricket Board has called off England's tour of Sri Lanka due to the coronavirus outbreak. The two teams were set to collide in a two-Test series, set to get underway in Galle on March 19, but it has now been postponed.

The background

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on cricket tournaments all over the world. First, the Everest Premier League in Nepal was postponed and then the much-awaited Asia XI vs World XI series was also cancelled.

A few hours ago, BCCI also decided to delay IPL 2020 while the India vs South Africa 2020 ODI series will be played behind closed doors.

The heart of the matter

Although only one positive case of COVID-19 has been recorded so far in Sri Lanka, the English team has decided to cancel the tour.

As reported by ESPNCricinfo, the cricket boards of both nations discussed the situation before deciding to postpone the series. An ECB spokesperson was quoted as saying:

"After overnight discussions between our teams in Sri Lanka and the SLC, the decision has been made to postpone the series and bring players and support staff home. Our aim will be to reschedule the series."

Earlier, the ECB had advised its players to avoid hand-shakes during the series but as the governments of Sri Lanka and the UK have intensified the measures to stop the virus from spreading, the cricket boards had no other option but to delay the series.