SL vs ENG | Moeen Ali joins England's bubble after recovering from COVID-19
Moeen Ali recovered from COVID-19
|Getty
There are reasons for optimism in England camp as Moeen Ali has recovered from Covid-19 and has tested negative to join the English bio-bubble at the tea on the third day's play of the first Test in Galle. Moeen is unlikely to play even in the second Test but he might be fit for the India tour.
The 33-year-old all-rounder tested positive for COVID-19 with mild symptoms upon arrival in Sri Lanka and was isolated immediately. Later it was revealed that Moeenâs infection was caused by the new UK strain thus his quarantine period was extended by three days following the Sri Lankan government's reservations.
However, after testing negative for the virus, he has returned to the English bubble and that has brought smiles to everyoneâs face subsequently.Â
"It's great to have Mo back. When we walked into the changing room [at tea] we saw Mo and there were smiles on everyone's faces. He's obviously had a really tough couple of weeks and no one wants to get into the situation he was in. Thankfully he got through that OK,â said Sam Curran after stumps on Day 3.
"We're all really excited to have him back in the group to play cricket again, because we all know what an awesome player he is, and to be around. The guys are really happy. Hopefully it doesn't happen to anyone else, because no one wants to have players leaving the group and isolating for a couple of weeks."
Although Moeen is now available for selection, given the lack of practise time that he has had, he isn't expected to play Test series against Sri Lanka. But the biggest boost for the English side is his availability for the India tour where they were pulverized last time.
