Glamorgan batter Asa Tribe has been blocked from joining the England Lions tour of the Caribbean because of a recent trip to Kenya. St Kitts and Nevis, which is hosting every match of the tour, refused him entry over Ebola concerns, BBC Sport and The Guardian reported.
Tribe, 22, opens the batting for Glamorgan. He can still play for his native Jersey until he wins a first senior England cap. In late October he played three one-day matches for Jersey in Nairobi, against Kuwait, Papua New Guinea and hosts Kenya. According to The Guardian, his last match there was on October 27.
He then set off for St Kitts and Nevis on connecting flights. The Guardian reported that he got as far as Paris before he learned of the problem. He has since returned to the UK.
A spokesperson for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said that St Kitts and Nevis has a 21-day non-entry rule for non-nationals who have been in Kenya. The rule covers Kenya and seven other African countries because of Ebola. The ECB said that it is in touch with the relevant authorities. The Guardian reported that Kenya has nine confirmed Ebola cases, including two deaths.
The Lions started without him and beat West Indies A by eight wickets in the first T20 on Sunday. They bowled the hosts out for 98. Naavya Sharma took four wickets and Scott Currie took three. Captain Thomas Rew, 18, hit 50 not out as the Lions reached 101-2 in just 10.1 overs.
Four more T20s and three 50-over matches remain, all in St Kitts. The final game is on November 16. The Guardian said that Tribe looks unlikely to join the tour late unless he gets a waiver.