England captain Root agrees with cancellation of Sri Lanka tour

England captain Joe Root arrives at the hotel after England's two Test matches against Sri Lanka under the ICC World Test Championship were postponed due to fears over the coronavirus. Photo: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

England captain Joe Root arrives at the hotel after England's two Test matches against Sri Lanka under the ICC World Test Championship were postponed due to fears over the coronavirus. Photo: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

Published Mar 15, 2020

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CAPE TOWN – England captain Joe Root has agreed with the decision to cancel their tour of Sri Lanka, saying players were relieved when they were told.

England were due to begin their two-Test series again Sri Lanka in Galle on March 19, but the team was ordered home due to the coronavirus outbreak by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

“The right decision has been made,” said skipper Root after the team was told they were to go back to England. “There was an element of relief.

“You could see looking at the players that their minds were elsewhere, thinking about people back home. Now that we can go and look after families and be with loves ones, that’s put a lot of guys at ease.

“Naturally there was a lot of talk in the dressing rom and it got to a stage where it overshadowed the cricket. Look at how quickly things have happened at home, you’re thinking about family and friends who might be a bit more vulnerable and that’s hard when you’re a long way away,” said Root.

“It was clear it was getting in the way of performance and affecting the mental wellbeing of the guys,” he concluded.

England’s tour of Sri Lanka was one of a number of cricket events that have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

On Thursday, the cricket boards of South Africa and India agreed to postpone their ODI series, while Australia’s contest against New Zealand was also cancelled. The start of the Indian Premier League, scheduled for March 29, was pushed back to April 15.

IOL Sport

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