England cricketer Moeen Ali infected with new UK strain of Coronavirus

The English team on their arrival to Sri Lanka got very bad news. Their key player for this series, all-rounder Moeen Ali was tested positive with COVID-19. It is almost certain that the experienced campaigner will now miss both the Test matches of the series. 

The 33-year-old was immediately put in isolation where he couldn’t possibly transfer the virus to any player. However, in recent developments, it has been found out that the all-rounder has been infected by the new strain of the Coronavirus, which comes from the United Kingdom. This particular strain has been found to be more transmissible than the usual one. 

Moeen Ali to miss both the matches of the series

According to the reports by News18, the Sri Lanka authorities have updated that Moeen Ali indeed has been infected by the new variant of the Coronavirus. Interestingly, the Deputy Chief Epidemiologist Hemantha Herath has informed the reporters that Ali is actually the first case of the new UK coronavirus strain on the island. This is exactly why the authorities are taking special care in ensuring that the virus doesn’t spread. The island nation is already having an upsurge in the numbers of Coronavirus patients. 

Several countries have already banned flights to and from the UK in order to avoid any transmission of the new strain. However, this was not applied to the English team, that came on a chartered flight. 

Moeen Ali’s presence would have strengthened the chances of the England team winning the series in Sri Lanka. A spin-bowling all-rounder is nothing short of a great prospect for any team travelling to the sub-continent. As a matter of fact, Ali was instrumental in his team’s success back in 2018, when they won a Test series 3-0 in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka start horribly in Galle

After a lot of struggles and uncertainty, the series finally started on Thursday. The series was initially going to take place last year but had to be called off because of the global pandemic. Both the Tests will be played at the Galle International Stadium.

Sri Lanka started quite badly in the first Test. After winning the toss, the Lankans lost three quick wickets with a score of less than 30.