England vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI Tickets

England vs Sri Lanka

England went to Sri Lanka in March 2020 with plans to play two Tests. But, as the extent of the Covid-19 pandemic became more apparent, the tour was abandoned halfway through a warm-up match in Colombo.

Plans remain in place for England to return to Sri Lanka in January. The Tests could be staged in Dambulla which is a bit more sparsely populated than some of the other venues and has decent hotel options near the stadium. But the ECB has made clear it will not agree to Sri Lanka's current quarantine arrangements, which would commit the England squad to spending two weeks confined to their rooms. Instead, it is requesting government dispensation to allow the players to train during this period. Unless that dispensation is granted, it seems unlikely they will travel. Bangladesh's decision to cancel a tour after failing to win such concessions suggest there is currently little room for compromise from the Sri Lankan government.

The future of this tour remains uncertain, although there are reasons to believe the authorities in Sri Lanka might be a bit more receptive to the ECB's request for a softening of the quarantine regulations. For one thing, the ECB may be able to demonstrate an absence of positive Covid cases within its squad and for another the financial value of the tour is likely to be higher.