Coronavirus sends cricket into turmoil as England return home from Sri Lanka Test series

England’s cricketers are heading back from Sri Lanka as the England and Wales Cricket Board brace themselves to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Following discussions with Sri Lanka Cricket and the foreign office, the ECB took the decision for the touring party to return to the UK and postpone the forthcoming Test series. The move came as Sri Lanka announced three more Covid-19 cases on Friday and banned all travellers from France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden and Australia.

They will be joined back in the country by a number of other English cricketers who have decided to leave the Pakistan Super League. There are currently 15 playing in the PSL, which is being played in in Pakistan for the first time.

On Thursday, a number of them requested to leave the competition early, including Jason Roy, Moeen Ali, James Vince, Tom Banton, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills and Lewis Gregory. Despite issues around coronavirus in the UK, the players wish to return home to be with their families during these uncertain times. On Thursday, the PSL announced matches would continue behind closed doors.

The ECB are also working ahead of the start of the English season as it looks more and more likely the County Championship, due to begin on 19 April, and other domestic competitions will be affected by restrictions brought about to combat the spread of coronavirus.

In a statement realeased by the ECB on Friday, chief executive Tom Harrison stated they are looking at the possibility of playing matches behind closed doors or even canceling parts of the schedule outright:

“In conjunction with our partners across the network, we are building contingency plans across a number of possible eventualities. Our main priorities are to ensure we scope out the landscape for financial, logistical and scheduling implications.

‘’It is difficult for us to be sure of what outcomes the game might be expected to deal with. Therefore, we will continue to plan for a season that proceeds as normal, but in parallel prepare for a range of different scenarios. These could include the possibility of playing matches behind closed doors, or potentially postponing or cancelling elements of the season.

“We continue to enjoy constructive dialogue with DCMS, and also the game’s first class counties, commercial and broadcast partners, all of whom match our ambitions to see the game of cricket thrive in 2020 and beyond. We are certain that jointly, we will come to solutions that best protect those who love cricket, and the game itself.’’

Meanwhile, counties are changing their plans accordingly. The Champion County match in Sri Lanka between the MCC and 2019 county champions Essex, who are returning home from their training camp from Dubai, meaning the match is now cancelled.

A number of other counties have either cancelled pre-season tours abroad, such as Surrey who shelved plans to go to the UAE, or have ended theirs early, like Yorkshire who announced on Friday that they will leave Mumbai “at the earliest possible opportunity” having only arrived there on Thursday. Those clubs who had trips to the cricket complex in La Manga, Spain, will also remain at home.

Meanwhile, the Indian Premier League announced it will push back its start date by two weeks, from 29 March to 15 April . If it does take place, there is a strong possibility there it will do so without any overseas talent after the Indian government announced on Thursday that all visas to visitors from other countries are suspended for at least a month.

Elsewhere, India’s home ODI series with South Africa has been called off mid-series, while Australia and New Zealand continue theirs. The first ODI in Sydney, which Australia won by 71 runs, was played behind closed doors, with two more matches to play under similar circumstances.

At present, there has been no news of a cricketer suffering from coronavirus. Australia seamer Kane Richardson was tested after reporting a mild sore throat but a negative result saw him rejoin the squad at the SCG during Friday’s match.