England’s left-handed stylish batsman Moeen Ali has tested COVID-19 positive after having landed at the Hambantota airport in Sri Lanka.
England cricket team arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday for two-match Test series.
Moeen Ali earlier was tested negative for COVID-19 in the lateral flow test.
However, Ali’s sample was tested positive for COVID-19 in the more accurate PCR test.
Moeen Ali is asymptomatic at this stage.
“Following PCR tests administered on arrival at the airport in Hambantota on Sunday 3 January, The England and Wales Cricket Board can confirm that Moeen Ali has tested positive for COVID-19,” England Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed in a statement.
33-year-old Moeen Ali will now have to undergo a 10-day isolation.
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Notably, all-rounder Chris Woakes has emerged as a close contact of Moeen Ali and will undergo a mandatory 7-day isolation.
Woakes also travelled to Heathrow airport in the same car as Moeen before boarding the flight to Hambantota.
The entire England squad has been placed under isolation in their rooms since arrival on Sunday.
The squad member will undergo further testing on Tuesday.
However, it is yet to be ascertained what strain of the virus Moeen Ali contracted.
The United Kingdom (UK) recently has been hit by new strain of coronavirus which is “up to 70 per-cent more transmissible than the previous version”.
