England all-rounder
Moeen Ali tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka upon the team’s arrival in the
island nation, AFP reported quoting the England and Wales Cricket Board as informing
on Monday.

The visiting team
arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday, as airport officials, upon spraying the English
cricketers, tested them wherein the results for Ali came out as positive.

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“Ali will now
observe a period of 10 days self-isolation, in accordance with the Sri Lanka
Government’s protocol on quarantine,” AFP quoted the ECB as saying in a
statement, who further said that Chris Woakes, who had close contact with Ali,
will be observing a period of self-isolation and ‘further testing’.

The rest of the
players making up the 18-man squad which is visiting Sri Lanka for a two-Test
series, will be tested for the second time on Tuesday morning as they are
slated for their first training session on Wednesday, the statement further
added.

Also read: Indian players test COVID negative amid reports of breaching bio bubble

England’s South
Africa tour too was cancelled in December due to fears over coronavirus, after the
team cancelled their Sri Lanka tour last year scheduled in March.
Significantly, the team’s chartered flight was permitted to enter Sri Lanka
even though no flights or passengers are currently being allowed to enter the
South Asian nation from the UK following the discovery of the new coronavirus
variant.

The England-Sri
Lanka series is slated to start on January 14 in Galle.