Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur, who turned 52 on May 17, has been in self-quarantine for last eight weeks in the Taj Samudra hotel in Colombo due to the coronavirus forced lockdown.
Arthur on Wednesday revealed that he visited former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara’s home in Galle and celebrated his birthday with his family.
“They relaxed the curfew a little bit, so last Friday I went with Kumar Sangakkara to his house in Galle and celebrated the birthday with his family. After eight weeks in lockdown, in the Taj Samudra on my own, to be outside the hotel was like being released out of jail,” Arthur was quoted as saying.
“Grant Flower [Sri Lanka batting coach] is the only one of our staff with me, but he is in another hotel. It was pretty lonely. Though I did manage to escape curfew to go and see him.
Sri Lanka coach Mickey also stated how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected his personal life and professional routines as all cricket tournaments have either been cancelled or postponed due to the global health crisis.
“I just see how badly the cricket world has been disrupted, but that’s just a microcosm of what’s happening in the real world. People are losing their lives, governments are at loggerheads. It’s almost surreal. The cricketing world is going to struggle financially. The world as we know is going to change.”
“Actually, I shook hands with people when I was there and they were wishing me. And then we said, “Oh, we shouldn’t have done that.” But it’s amazing how your habits change. Grant and I kind of bumped elbows when he popped in for tea, though I just want to give my hand out and give a good hug. Everybody is a little apprehensive. We have just become accustomed to washing hands, using hand sanitiser, and wearing a mask when you go out – those are the norm now.
