Lahiru Thirimanne and Mickey Arthur test positive for COVID-19, Sri Lanka's tour of West Indies in doubt

Covid-19 continues to make life difficult for sportsmen. Even though international cricket is now back on its feet, and all the teams have returned to the playing arena, the pandemic still rears its ugly head every now and then.

Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Thirimanne found his form at last with the bat in Test cricket and scored his first century since 2013 in the whites during the second innings of the first Test against England at Galle. The left-hander followed that up by scoring a handsome 43 in the first innings of the second Test against Joe Root’s men as well.

But now, it has been reported that Thirimanne and Head Coach Mickey Arthur have tested positive for Covid-19. The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has also issued a statement regarding the matter. The Board stated that both Thirimanne, as well as Head Coach Arthur, were asked to adhere to the necessary protocols provided by the Government.

“Immediately upon identification, both Mickey Arthur and Lahiru Thirimanne have been directed to follow the government’s health protocol laid out on COVID-19,” said the SLC in a statement.

Sri Lanka tour of West Indies may be rescheduled

Also, the Sri Lankan board has further stated that they are even looking to reschedule the West Indies tour as well. The original plan was for the series to kick off on February 20th, 2021. “Considering the current situation, SLC is exploring the possibility of rescheduling the tour of West Indies, which was scheduled to commence on February 20, 2021,” concluded the statement.

Sri Lanka have suffered abject humiliation in their last 4 Test matches. The side was beaten 2-0 in the short two-match Test series against South Africa in the land of the Proteas. And the worrying fact was both the Test matches did not even last the entire duration. And, even after returning to the comfort of their homeland, the fortunes just did not improve for the Sri Lankan outfit.

The islanders were whitewashed in the two-match home series against England. In fact, out of their last 9 Test matches, Sri Lanka have managed to win just a single Test.