Two Sri Lanka players and a coach test positive for COVID-19 after Dhaka bubble breach
Two cricketers from the Sri Lanka national cricket team - Isuru Udana and Shiran Fernando - along with bowling coach Chaminda Vaas, have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of their three-match ODI series against Bangladesh.
The first of the three ODI games was scheduled to be played at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday. However, the positive cases in the Sri Lanka camp have cast a shadow of doubt over the entire tour.
As per ESPN Cricinfo, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials don't seem to be in favor of calling off the series opener. However, there have been a few murmurs in the Sri Lanka camp about bringing the team back home.
Apparently, the medical staff accompanying the squad are unhappy with the bubble arrangements made by the BCB. The team are also wary about the ongoing situation possibly causing them to miss out on their upcoming tour of England in June.
According to reports, the Sri Lanka team and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are awaiting the results of a second RT-PCR test before arriving at a decision. There hasn't been an official statement from either side yet.
Contract concerns on our minds: Sri Lanka captain Kusal Perera
The central contracts recently offered by the SLC, as per which the experienced players are to take a massive pay cut, have worried the Sri Lanka players. Captain Kusal Perera touched on these concerns on Saturday.
"We do have concerns about the contracts," Perera said ahead of the first ODI in Dhaka, on Saturday. "We can't say it's not affecting us - that would be a lie and everyone would know it's a lie. But I'm hoping we can talk to the cricket board and resolve this fairly. With the contracts, we're going to come back to Sri Lanka and discuss with the board then. But before then we are just trying to think about how we will win this series. What I'm trying to do is give the players confidence to go and do what they know how to do, because if they are fearful, they won't get the best out of their skills."
The next two ODIs in the series are scheduled for May 25 and May 28 respectively.