ENG vs SL ODI series to continue despite COVID case of referee

Despite a Covid-19 alert generated by a positive test for match referee Phil Whitticase, England’s One-Day International against Sri Lanka on Tuesday will go ahead as planned.

“The England and Wales Cricket Board can confirm that ICC Match Referee Phil Whitticase has tested positive for COVID-19,” the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.

Whitticase served as a referee in the three-match T20I series between the two teams, which ended on Saturday, but a PCR test on Friday revealed that he was infected with the virus.

Close contacts have not been detected among the players or backroom personnel, and everyone are free to participate in Tuesday’s encounter in Durham as scheduled.

However, Whitticase and seven individuals from the officiating and anti-corruption teams have been instructed to self-isolate for 10 days.