Health Ministry ‘not comfortable’ with SL’s tour of SA

By BIPIN DANI  

The Ministry of Health is ‘not comfortable’ with Sri Lanka’s proposed tour of South Africa scheduled for later this month, reliable sources told the Daily Mirror yesterday. 

According to highly placed sources, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials had an important meeting with key member of the Health Ministry officials and the mindset was conveyed to the Board. However, the final decision has been left with SLC. 

At the meeting, it was also discussed that if the tour goes ahead, the players in return will need to go through at least a 10-day quarantine. 

The first home Test against England is scheduled to begin on January 14 and the Sri Lankan Team which is scheduled to return from South Africa on January 7 or 8 will have no time to play the first Test.  

After the current postponement of the South Africa tour by the England Team, the Ministry of Health now insists on stricter guidelines.

If the tour is called off, Sri Lanka will have to cancel all flight tickets. The players and support staff are booked in business class on a commercial Qatar Airways flight to Johannesburg on December 18.