Three Sri Lankan players tested positive for COVID-19

Dubai: Three Sri Lankan female players have tested positive for COVID-19 during qualifying for the 2021 Women’s Cricket World Cup in Zimbabwe.

Players tested positive after all team members were tested after two players showed mild symptoms, according to biosecurity protocols in place for the nine-team event, which began in Harare on Sunday.

The third player is thought to be asymptomatic. All three are isolated and receiving appropriate medical care.

The rest of Sri Lanka’s roster is negative, but it is currently in isolation as a precaution and will be tested again on Tuesday before their opening match against the Netherlands.

The ICC’s head of events, Chris Tetley, said the event would go ahead as planned.

“We have teams of 15 players at this event, which allows for the management of injuries and illnesses including COVID-19, in addition, the teams had the option of bringing travel reserves with them.

“As you would expect, the rest of the team is being closely monitored and they will all be retested before moving onto the field on Tuesday.

“The event biosafety plan provides us with protocols to effectively conduct positive testing with the goal of moving the event forward and keeping all players and other participants safe,” said Tetley.

Sri Lanka will play its opening match against the Netherlands on Tuesday and the rest of Group A matches on Saturday (against West Indies) and Monday (against Ireland).

Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the United States make up Group Two, with three teams from each group reaching the Super Six stage, where the final places will be decided.

The tournament will determine more than three qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA Women’s World Cup, to be held in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3, and join five teams that have already qualified through the Women’s World Cup in Australia, England, India, South Africa and host country New Zealand.

The three qualifiers plus the next two teams will secure places in the next ICC Women’s Championship (IWC), along with the top five from last time, increasing the number of teams in the third round of the IWC from eight to ten.