Cricket prepared for potential lock-downs and cancellations as coronavirus pandemic hits

Cricket is bracing itself to deal with the coronavirus pandemic as tours and competitions across the world prepare for potential lock-downs and cancellations.

England are currently on a Test tour of Sri Lanka which, at present, is still set to go ahead, with the first Test of the two-match series due to begin in Galle on March 19.

At present, the England & Wales Cricket Board are awaiting guidance that should be forthcoming from the emergency Cobra meeting in the UK between government officials before making decisions on Sri Lanka and cricket in general.

‘’We are in regular contact with the Sri Lankan and British High Commissions in addition to Sri Lanka Cricket around the Sri Lanka v England Test matches, scheduled in the next few weeks,” the ECB said in a statement on Thursday.

“At this stage, the series is planned to continue, but we want to stress that this is a highly evolving situation and circumstances are changing rapidly, sometimes several times a day.

“We urge fans who are considering travelling to consult with the current British and Sri Lankan Government advice, to continue to do this up until the point of travel and also for the duration of their trip.”

But there is growing uncertainty after the Sri Lankan government announced measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 that suggests it will be very difficult for the tour to continue. This week the country had its second confirmed case of the virus.

There is currently a suspension of visa-on-arrivals from all countries and a halt on all group tours to other countries. On Thursday, Sri Lanka president Gotabaya Rajapaksa took to Twitter to reiterate these three points after an emergency meeting to review containment plans and also talked of a 14-day self-quarantine on all arrivals into the country. That, however, does not appear to be an official measure, though it would be a huge, unwelcome development for those England fans still travelling who are due to arrive next week.

The ECB and those in Sri Lanka are in constant dialogue with the high commission in Sri Lanka and the foreign office. The team had already taken measures to isolate themselves and had already instigated a no hand-shaking policy, while also extending that to fan interactions such as autographs and selfies. They are also doing what they can to avoid mingling with outside groups which will become a huge struggle when the Test matches get underway.

The players are understood to be relatively calm and happy to go along with what the ECB suggest, though some are also looking at various postponements of matches and entire leagues in other sports, such as La Liga and the NBA, and wondering what cricket is waiting for.

Earlier this week Surrey cancelled their pre-season camp to the UAE and Nottinghamshire decided to cancel a pre-season match against Northamptonshire who are currently out in Singapore for warm-weather training.

The Indian Premier League, which begins on March 29, is also under threat. At present, the BCCI are considering playing matches behind closed doors but have relayed to the franchises that they hope the schedule will continue as normal.

Even so, The Independent understands that if the competition does go ahead it will be without any overseas talent with the Indian government’s drastic move on Thursday to suspend visas for visitors from all other countries for at least a month. At present, a decision on India’s one-day series at home to South Africa, which began in the country on Thursday, is expected tomorrow (Friday).

Cricket South Africa are also closely monitoring the situation of this and future tours. On Thursday, they announced the cancellation of the women’s series at home to Australia.

The Pakistan Cricket Board will play Pakistan Super League matches behind closed doors from Friday. The PCB and the Sindh Government say the decision is precautionary, made to better protect the health and safety of spectators, players, officials and media.

Immediate families of the players, support personnel and franchise owners will be allowed to attend matches.