Moeen Ali ruled out of Sri Lanka Test series after extended quarantine
England have received a significant setback ahead of their series against Sri Lanka, as all-rounder Moeen Ali is unlikely to play the two Tests.
A positive COVID-19 result has ruled Moeen Ali out of England's first Test against Sri Lanka. Now, the Sri Lankan authorities and the English team management have agreed to extend his isolation period, which means Moeen Ali will miss the second Test as well.
The English all-rounder has been away from the team since last Sunday (January 3). The 10-day isolation period will end on Wednesday, but according to ESPNCricinfo, Moeen Ali will likely join the English squad by Saturday.
However, a few days after his positive COVID-19 result, Moeen Ali experienced mild symptoms during the isolation period. Hence the local authorities insisted on extending his quarantine period by two-three days.
As Moeen Ali experienced the symptoms of the virus, he could require some time to gaining match fitness. Thus the allrounder may not earn a place in the English playing XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, pace-bowling allrounder Chris Woakes also had to isolate himself, as he was in close contact with Moeen Ali. After the isolation period, Woakes returned negative and has joined his teammates in the bio-bubble.
"It was obviously the right thing to do to isolate once I arrived here and figured out Moeen Ali was positive": Chris Woakes
Chris Woakes described how the English players tried their best to stay in touch with Moeen Ali during the last few days.
He highlighted that even though Moeen Ali experienced some symptoms, he had recovered well now. Talking about his 'close contact' with Moeen Ali in Sri Lanka, Woakes said:
"It was like a minibus. It was a relatively small van to get all our kits in and then we were sharing the back of the van. It wasn't a tiny vehicle, but by no means was it a lorry size. We took all the precautions: we wore masks; kept our distance as much as we could and obviously tried not to touch anything. But you can only be so safe, I suppose. It was obviously the right thing to do to isolate once I arrived here and figured out that Moeen was positive."