Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Tuesday (February 16) confirmed that Sri Lanka will go ahead with the West Indies tour despite Lahiru Thirimanne and coach Mickey Arthur testing COVID-19 positive, as they will leave for the Caribbean on February 23 to play a full-fledged series.
Sri Lanka will play three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests as part of the ICC World Test Championship, starting March 3 against the West Indies behind closed doors in a bio-secure environment in Antigua at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) and Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS).
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s departure for the multi-format tour of the West Indies was delayed after Arthur and Thirimanne tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. However, Arthur and Thirimanne completed their mandatory isolation, but there is no official word on whether the two would join the tour.
Notably, the three T20I matches between West Indies and Sri Lanka will be played on March 3, 5, and 7 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua while the three one-day internationals will be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium on March 10, 12, and 14 respectively.
The two World Test Championship matches will also be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium on March 21 and March 29 respectively after a warm-up game at CCG on 17-18 March.
Noteworthy, Sri Lanka will be the first team to travel to West Indies since they hosted Ireland in January 2020 before the COVID-19 outbreak across the world.
Here’s the complete schedule –
First T20I – 3 March, CCG, Antigua
Second T20I – 5 March, CCG, Antigua
Third T20I – 7 March, CCG, Antigua
First ODI – 10 March, SVRS, Antigua
Second ODI – 12 March, SVRS, Antigua
Third ODI – 14 March, SVRS, Antigua
Warm-up match – 17-18 March, CCG, Antigua
First Test – 21-25 March, SVRS, Antigua
Second Test – 29 March-2 April, SVRS, Antigua
(With AFP Inputs)
