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Sri Lanka board plans action against Grant Flower over 'bio-bubble breach'

Sri Lanka board plans action against Grant Flower over 'bio-bubble breach'

SRI LANKA'S cricket board is planning disciplinary action against batting coach Grant Flower following allegations that he breached a bio-secure bubble during an England tour, cricket sources said in Colombo on Thursday (15).

Sri Lanka's preparations for a home series against India were disrupted when Flower, 50, tested positive for Covid-19 on his return to the national team on July 6.


Three Sri Lankan players, including vice-captain Kusal Mendis, were sent home early after they left the team's bio-secure hotel for a night out in Durham ahead of the first one-day international.

Official sources said Sri Lanka Cricket will investigate reports that Flower also breached the Covid-19 restrictions.

"An inquiry will be held after he (Flower) recovers fully," a board source said. "There are allegations that he also breached the bio-secure bubble."

Media reports said the board was also unhappy with the performance of Flower, a former Zimbabwe Test player who is under a contract until the end of the year.

Sri Lanka are eighth in the Test team rankings and ninth in one-day formats and team morale is reportedly low. The players have been at loggerheads with the board over new performance-linked contracts.

The board has brought in local coach Dhammika Sudarshana as a temporary replacement for Flower for three one-day games and three Twenty20 matches against India starting on Sunday (18).

The matches have been postponed by five days to July 18 following positive tests by Flower and a team's data analyst.

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Temperatures reached 35C at Heathrow and Kew Gardens in London

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UK recorded its highest-ever May temperature for a second consecutive day

  • Record-breaking May temperatures pushed large parts of the UK into heatwave conditions.
  • Temperatures reached 35C at Heathrow and Kew Gardens in London.
  • Amber heat-health alerts remain in place across several regions of England until Thursday evening.

The UK has recorded its hottest May temperature on record for the second day running, as an intense early summer heatwave pushed temperatures to 35C in parts of London and triggered fresh weather and health warnings across England.

According to the Met Office, temperatures reached 35C at both Heathrow and Kew Gardens on May 27, surpassing the previous provisional May record of 34.8C set a day earlier at Kew Gardens.

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