Over the last few months, quite a few tours and tournaments got cancelled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Because of rules set in place by the ICC and the governing bodies, players can’t be put at risk and there’s immediate isolation in case of an outbreak. The same happened with the current England ODI squad, with seven members testing coronavirus positive.
The news has just come in of a number of players testing positive, shortly after their home series against Sri Lanka ended. There was already controversy surrounding the tour with 3 Sri Lankan members flown back and suspended after breaking the coronavirus bubble rules. The seven members and the rest of the ODI squad has been forced into self-isolation now, since they were all deemed as close contacts.
This comes just before the 2021 Pakistan tour of England, the squads of which were to be announced on Tuesday. As per reports, we will see all-rounder Ben Stokes returning from a hiatus to lead the ODI and T20 sides against Pakistan, and the tour is expected to resume as usual. We’re not 100% sure if anyone who is currently isolating will make the squads.
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‘‘We have been mindful that the emergence of the Delta variant, along with our move away from the stringent enforcement of bio secure environments, could increase the chances of an outbreak. We made a strategic choice to try to adapt protocols, in order to support the overall wellbeing of our players and management staff who have spent much of the last 14 months living in very restricted conditions,” said Tom Harrison, ECB chief executive.
The names of those being affected by coronavirus have not been revealed but this is a developing story and we will bring you all updates from the England cricket camp as soon as we get it. For more updates, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com!
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