England Test series in Sri Lanka postponed due to coronavirus

'These are completely unprecedented times, and decisions like this go beyond cricket.'

England's two-match Test series in Sri Lanka starting next week has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Friday.

The first Test was scheduled to start in Galle on March 19 and the second game set for Colombo from March 27.

"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic worsening globally, and after discussions with Sri Lanka Cricket, we have made the decision to return our players to the UK and postpone the forthcoming test series between Sri Lanka and England," ECB said in a statement.

"At this time, the physical and mental wellbeing 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."

Following the decision, England abandoned their four-day warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Board President's XI side on the second day on Friday.

The series joins a long list of sporting events affected by the virus, which has infected more than 134,000 people globally and killed over 4,900 since it originated in China last year.