Sri Lanka is set to take on England in an upcoming three-match Test series towards the end of the ongoing summer, but the men’s side have raised concerns over the security situation in England in the presence of the anti-immigrant riots that have broken out in various cities in the United Kingdom (UK).
The England Cricket Board (ECB), however, has responded by reassuring the security arrangements of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLCB) and their team. Few of the touring players, who have already reached been in the country for the pre-series camp, have raised their concerns and anxiety towards the unrest conditions, given there were no such security plans covering this part of the trip.
The three-match Test series is set to begin on August 21 at the Old Trafford ground in Manchester before they fly to Lord’s for the second game of the series, set to begin on August 29. The series will end on with the Kennington Oval red-ball game on September 06.
Sri Lanka shows concerns over security arrangements in England
The nine-person group, including seven players and two support staff, has written to the SLC to arrange better security over the next few days as they travel to and from the ground near London.
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“Most of the issues seem not to be close to where we are, but everyone is still a little concerned. We can’t go out to dinner or do anything like that. Mostly we stay in the hotel. No one wants to run into trouble and get beaten up.” One of those Sri Lanka players in England spoke to ESPNcricinfo.
“We’ve asked the board to try and ask for some security for us until the main team arrives, but we haven’t heard anything back yet.” He remarked.
The lion’s share of the Sri Lanka team is set to arrive in England on Sunday, the point of time when the security plans for the hosts begin. The team manager of the visiting side, Mahinda Halangoda, who is still in Sri Lanka, has spoken about the fact that he has already interacted with the ECB on the news reports in Manchester.
“I raised the issue with them, but the ECB responded very quickly and sent us their comprehensive security arrangements. We’ll be having a security liaison on the tour from them as well.” Halangoda narrated.
Some of the far-right protests have been marked by violence over the last few days in that country, with large counter-protests being aimed at protecting immigrant-owned businesses. The United Kingdon government, however, has assured the sporting bodies about their strong conditions for hosting any sport at the moment.
The last time Sri Lanka toured England for a Test series was way back in 2016 when they lost it by a 2-0 margin. They are going into the series with a strong position after winning the ODI series against India at home with a 2-0 margin.
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The Ben Stoked-led side, on the flip of the coin, is coming on the back of their whitewash 3-0 series win over West Indies as they look to continue to their powerful position in the rest of the summer. Sri Lanka is placed at the fourth position in the rankings of the World Test Championship (WTC), while the hosts are stationed at the sixth rank.
Sri Lanka Test squad vs England
Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (vice-captain), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake