By Revatha S. Silva
SLC T20 League live action
The readers can catch live action of the SLC Invitational T20 League that is starting today (12) on the following media:
* SLC YouTube Channel
* Dialog TV Channel-1
* Dialog ViU app
* The Papare and
* The Papare Cricket Facebook page
Schedule today - 12 August, Thursday
SLC Greys vs. SLC Greens at 2.30 p.m.
SLC Blues vs. SLC Reds at 7 p.m.
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Covid-19 tremors engulf Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) headquarters at Maitland Place for the third time of the year as SLC Invitational T20 League begins at Pallekele today (12) with the participation of four teams[/caption]
The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) headquarters at Maitland Place, Colombo was closed temporarily yesterday (11) due to Covid-19 fears. This was for the third time of the year that the country’s cricket headquarters was to be closed owing to the pandemic outbreak.
Two SLC staffers/co-workers had allegedly tested positive creating tremors among SLC hierarchy yesterday with the SLC T20 League set to begin today (12) in Pallekele, off Kandy.
South Africa is bound to be here for a white-ball series early next month too.
SLC’s announcement
SLC issued the following media release last evening at around 6.45 p.m. announcing the situation at its Maitland Place office:
“Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce that the SLC Headquarters started to operate with a minimal number of employees, effective from today (yesterday).
The decision was taken, following the detection of two SLC employees as Covid Positive, and also considering the current health situation in the country.
Whilst … the rest of the employees attends to regular work via virtual measures.
In the meantime, at the High-Performance Centre (HPC), player rehabilitation, and fitness programmes will operate, whilst no squad training programmes will take place as the players are currently in Pallekele to take part in the Invitational T20 League.
The ‘Dialog - SLC Invitational T20 League’ will commence tomorrow (today).”
CCC and NCC closed too
Meanwhile, the nearby Colombo Cricket Club (CCC) which also houses the Colombo Hockey and Football Club (CH&FC) --two ancillary clubs of the famous Gymkhana Club-- at Maitland Crescent too had been closed to a coronavirus outbreak by yesterday.
In addition, the adjacent Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) at Maitland Place too had been closed due to some of its staffers being allegedly testing positive for Covid-19.
This is third time
This is the third time of the year that SLC had a major close-down due to the surging pandemic.
In January this year, there was a Covid-19 fear at SLC when one of its staffers had tested positive prompting the SLC management to ask all its staff to work from home. Only the essential employees were asked to report to work then.
For the second time this year, SLC felt the shock of the pandemic on 26 April as one of the close contacts of a highly-placed SLC official had been found to have tested positive for the deadly virus.
That time, the said official had reportedly visited the Pallekele Stadium where the first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was being played.
About a dozen of close contacts of that staffer, who had been working in the same office of the said SLC official, were instructed to refrain from reporting to work at that time.
Squad changes for T20 League
In the meantime, SLC yesterday officially announced the following changes to the four squads of the Dialog-sponsored SLC Invitational T20 League which is to get underway today.
Himasha Liyanage is moved from Team Blues, led by Dhananjaya de Silva, to Team Greys, led by Dasun Shanaka; Kamil Mishara is moved from Team Greens, under Ashan Priyanjan, to Greys; whilst Prabath Jayasuriya is moved from Team Greys to Reds, led by Dinesh Chandimal, SLC said in a release.
Fitness tests
As the Morning Sports reported on Monday (10), the following seven players are not taking part in the T20 League as they had not passed their fitness tests, SLC confirmed yesterday.
Those players are: Sadun Weerakkody, Jehan Daniel, Sangeeth Cooray, Koshan Jayawickrama, Lahiru Gamage, Ashan Randika, and Lasith Embuldeniya.
“No replacements will be made on behalf of the respective players,” the SLC media release further added yesterday.
Covid-19 positive players
As we also reported on Monday, the following three players who were to play in the T20 League from today, had tested positive by last weekend, SLC revealed. They are to miss the League as a result, SLC officially confirmed in their media release.
Those three players who are currently undergoing “due medical protocols due to testing positive for Covid-19” are: Sachindu Colombage, Nimesh Vimukthi, and Mohammed Shiraz.