In light of the anti-immigrant riots that have broken out in several places, the men’s team from Sri Lanka has expressed concerns about the security situation in England. In response, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reassured the squad and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) of the security measures in place.

A security plan for this section of the tour is not in place, so players who are already in England for pre-series training have expressed concern about the turmoil. The nine-person team, which consists of two support staff members and seven players, has requested that SLC set up enhanced protection for their travels to and from a venue close to London during the next several days.

“Most of the issues seem not to be close to where we are but everyone is still a little concerned,” one player in England said. “We can’t really go out to dinner or do anything like that. Mostly we stay in the hotel. No one wants to run into trouble and get beaten up. “We’ve asked the board to try and ask for some security for us until the main team arrives, but we haven’t heard anything back yet.”

When the majority of the team travels to England on Sunday for a three-match Test series, the ECB’s security protocol comes into action. Mahinda Halangoda, the team manager for Sri Lanka, who is now in the country, stated that he had brought up concerns with the ECB after seeing news reports, particularly from Manchester, where the squad plays its first Test starting on August 21.

“I raised the issue with them, but the ECB responded very quickly and sent us their comprehensive security arrangements,” Halangoda said. “We’ll be having a security liaison on the tour from them as well.”

In recent days, there have been sizable counter-protests targeted at defending immigrant-owned businesses, houses of worship, and other locations frequented by immigrants, despite the fact that some far-right demonstrations have been violent.

In an emergency teleconference on Wednesday, the UK government also gave athletic organizations the assurance that sports were still secure in the nation. The police in the UK have made it clear that they will stop and prosecute acts of violence.