India's limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka, involving three ODIs and three T20Is, will now be played between July 18 and July 29, the BCCI confirmed. As per original schedule, the six white-ball games were to be played between July 13 and July 25.
That there will be a change in the dates was first reported by Cricbuzz on Friday (July 9), the reason being the outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the Sri Lankan camp that just returned from England. Team's batting coach Grant Flower and video analyst GT Niroshan had tested positive.
"Yes, there is a new schedule for the matches in Sri Lanka," confirmed Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary. The Sri Lanka board officials called the BCCI secretary on Saturday (July 10) morning with the revised schedule for approval. The dates for all the games are expected to be announced soon.
Interestingly enough, the Indian team management which has been strictly following the Covid protocols, was not aware of the planned change till this late Friday night. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side was preparing for the first game on July 13. Now they will play the three One-Day Internationals on July 18, 20 and 23 and the three Twenty20 Internationals on July 25, 27 and 29. All matches will be played at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo
The SLC has also tried to contact the broadcaster, Sony Sports, which has been promoting the series for the last one month. In an ideal scenario, the broadcasters would have preferred the old dates, from July 13 to 26, given that only a couple of games would have overlapped with the Olympic Games, which start on July 23. But in the scenario of pandemic, all parties have agreed for the rescheduling.
"Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in consultation with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to reschedule the dates of the ODI and T20I series," SLC said in a statement. "The move is aimed at providing more time for the Sri Lanka National Players and the Support Staff to complete required health protocols before getting onto the field, following the detection of two members (Batting Coach and Data Analyst) of the National Squad as Covid Positive."
The BCCI acknowledged the situation and said it would extend all possible cooperation to the SLC, which revised the dates following health advisory from the Sri Lankan government.
"We understand that circumstances are extraordinary, but the BCCI would like to extend its full support to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) during these tough times for the smooth conduct of the upcoming series. Our medical team is in constant touch with the team of doctors at SLC and together following all safety protocols that will help the series to get underway. We are confident that both nations will put up a spirited show in the days to come and we are in for some exciting cricket," Jay Shah stated in a BCCI release.
Ashley de Silva, SLC CEO, added, "We are grateful to the BCCI for understanding the situation and agreeing to cooperate with us at this moment of time, as it has done on numerous occasions, during our long-standing relationship."
Source: Cricbuzz