Sri Lanka's Mendis tests positive for COVID-19 before Australia T20 series

Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Mendis has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of their Twenty20 series in Australia, the country's cricket board said on Tuesday.

Mendis was named in the 20-member squad last month after returning from a suspension imposed for breaching the team's bio-bubble anti-coronavirus protocols during their tour of England in July.

"Mendis was found to be positive during a routine Rapid Antigen Test (RAT)," the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board said in a statement.

"Mendis is currently undergoing Covid-19 protocols and placed in isolation since Monday."

The five-match T20 series is set to begin in Sydney on Friday.

(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)