Today the England and Wales Cricket Board released a statement regarding details of their upcoming Test tour of Sri Lanka, which was due to take place this following week (19 March).Due to the ongoing health concerns of athletes all over the world, regardless of their sport, the ECB was forced into a quick decision regarding the tour.“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic worsening globally, and after discussions with Sri Lanka Cricket, we have today made the decision to return our players to the UK and postpone the forthcoming Test series between Sri Lanka and England”, the statement read.There is also the likely possibility of some of England’s home summer fixtures having to be postponed or cancelled altogether.West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia were all planning on being included in England’s home matches this summer but with the uncertainty surrounding this, it is looking increasingly unlikely.However, the ECB have also stated that they will still plan these matches as if they were going to go ahead but they just have to prepare themselves for the worst-case scenario.This follows many recent statements of other sports and leagues globally to postpone and to suspend any ongoing play due to the ongoing pandemic.It has gotten to the point where it is purely a decision on whether or not the safety of the players is at risk.

The statement goes on to say:

“At this time, the physical and mental well-being of our players and support teams is paramount.

We will now look to bring them home to their families as soon as possible. These are completely unprecedented times, and decisions like this go beyond cricket”.

This is a message that has no doubt been echoed throughout many sports globally at this moment in time.