Moeen is unlikely to appear in the first test against Sri Lanka, starting on January 14.
Moeen Ali tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Sri Lanka and will be quarantined for ten days, almost certainly ruling him out from the first test in Galle. Chris Woakes has been considered to be a close contact and will also isolate himself for a minimum of seven days.
The positive result came from a PCR test performed on Sunday (January 3) at Hambantota airport. According to Sri Lankan government guidelines, Moeen will have to isolate himself for ten days, until January 13. With the first test in Galle starting the next day, he will almost certainly be ruled out of that game.
It is the first confirmed positive test that England has had since the resumption of international cricket last summer. More than 10,000 tests came back negative during the season at home, and while two members of the tour group tested positive for COVID-19 on the limited trip to South Africa last month, they were subsequently considered false positives.
England’s players were tested on Thursday, December 30 before leaving the UK, and all tested negative, meaning Moeen likely contracted the virus in the three days between that test and his departure for Sri Lanka on Saturday. night.
Moeen’s management company published a series of tweets shortly after the ECB’s announcement that said: “Moeen is fine and has taken all the necessary precautions, but it only shows that this virus can strike at any time.”
England’s fear now must be that the virus has spread to other team members during the trip to Sri Lanka. All the players and support staff were locked in a plane for the 11-hour flight and then traveled together to their hotel in Hambantota by bus. Although Woakes has been considered a close contact, surely there must have been the possibility of Moeen coming into contact with others. The next round of testing will confirm everything.
Moeen will be transferred from Hambantota to Galle on Tuesday, site of both tests, after the entire England squad has undergone a second round of PCR testing. The rest of the group will be able to start training on Wednesday if their second test results are negative and then head to Galle on January 10.
Moeen’s likely absence for the first test leaves England with just two spinners, Dom Bess and Jack Leach, on their team. They may consider calling Mason Crane, Matt Parkinson, or Amar Virdi from the reserve list to compensate. Woakes can miss the first round as well, although England have enough fast bowling coverage on the team.
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