Bangladesh team was due to play three Tests in late July Island nation has reported 11 virus deaths and some 1,998 infections COLOMBO: Bangladesh have formally called off their Test series in Sri Lanka because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials in Colombo said Wednesday. The Bangladesh team was due to play three Tests in late July, but the tour was in doubt because of the worrying spread of COVID-19 across South Asia. The Sri Lankan cricket board said Bangladesh had pulled out due to “the lack of preparation for its players, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza — who remains in the Test squad — and left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam tested positive for the virus Saturday. This is the second international engagement to be taken off Sri Lanka’s cricket calendar this month. India pulled out of a limited-overs series scheduled for late June. The Sri Lankan cricket team started its second residential training camp in Kandy on Monday to prepare for the Twenty20 world cup in Australia in September. The island nation has reported 11 virus deaths and some 1,998 infections. It has eased lockdown measures and resumed economic activity. Bangladesh, meanwhile, has confirmed over 122,660 infections and more than 1,500 deaths from the coronavirus so far. The country restarted economic activities after lifting a months-long virus lockdown at the end of May even as cases continued to rise.