Sri Lanka batting coach Grant Flower tests positive for COVID-19 

Sri Lanka's batting coach Grant Flower has tested positive for COVID-19, just three days after the contingent returned from the tour of England. The development is significant since Sri Lanka are set to take on India in a limited-overs series at home, starting July 13.

The Sri Lankan contingent arrived in Sri Lanka from the UK on Monday, and were immediately placed into isolation in hotel rooms. The news of Flower testing positive comes only days after seven members of the England ODI contingent for the Pakistan series returned COVID-positive tests.

England were forced to send the entire ODI squad into isolation and went into the series against Pakistan, which began on Thursday, with Ben Stokes as captain.

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, since Flower is the only member of the Sri Lanka contingent to have tested positive, the series against India could go ahead if no more players test positive going forward.

Flower has, reportedly, not been in close contact with other members of the Sri Lankan squad over the last few days. A member of Sri Lanka's medical staff was quoted as telling ESPNcricinfo:

"We have to find out how Flower got infected, and also which variant of the virus he has been infected with.”

As per Sri Lanka’s initial schedule, the isolating players were supposed to get into a bio-bubble ahead of the India series on Friday. However, things may change in the wake of Flower testing COVID-19 positive. If the Sri Lanka batting coach's COVID infection turns out to be the Delta variant, there could be some trouble in the team camp.

Batting Coach of the Sri Lanka National Team Grant Flower has tested positive for Covid 19.He was found to be positive during a PCR test carried out on him today when Flower showed mild symptoms of the disease.https://t.co/2CiQhLGlXE

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) July 8, 2021

Tough times for Sri Lankan cricket

The news of their batting coach testing COVID positive is the latest in the growing list of troubles for Sri Lankan cricket. They were hammered 0-3 in the T20Is in England and also lost the ODI series 0-2, with the last match in Bristol being abandoned due to rain.

Three Sri Lankan players, Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella, were sent home from England for breaching the team’s bio-bubble. The trio were seen roaming around in Durham ahead of the first ODI.

Sri Lankan players have been involved in a messy standoff with the nation’s cricket board over the past month over new contracts, which offer performance-based incentives.

📽 Wickets | Team India's 2nd Intra Squad Game | India tour of Sri Lanka - https://t.co/43FSmQW14a#SLvIND

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) July 8, 2021

On Wednesday, the SLC informed that 29 of the 30 players short-listed for the India series have signed their contracts while veteran batsman Angelo Mathews pulled out citing personal reasons.