Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw will be flying to United Kingdom from Colombo on Saturday despite Sri Lanka being a Red List country under the UK Government's travel advisory. Their entry into England is being facilitated by a specially-created rule for sportspersons by the UK Government. Normally, only travellers from Green List or Amber List countries are allowed in the UK. Those travelling from the Red List countries -- which Sri Lanka is -- can be allowed only if they are UK and Irish citizens. That Suryakumar and Shaw will still enter UK, is because the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have made use of a special provision that permits Elite Sportspersons in UK this summer.
"The UK Government created Elite player exemption earlier this summer to help the Indian touring party travel in the first place. The same rule was used for other sports like football and tennis for the Euros and Wimbledon. And now that is being used for the two new players," a top ECB official was quoted as saying to Cricbuzz. However, Shaw and Suryakumar will still have to undergo quarantine for 10 days. The isolation period effectively rules them out of the first two Tests. The second Test starts at Lord's on August 12, by when the two players' quarantine period should be over but the general perception is that they will have to have some red ball practice before being considered for a place in a Test against England. The Test series begins from August 4 in Nottingham.
