Surrey become third county to call off pre-season tour following coronavirus outbreak

The Oval side had been due to travel to Dubai on March 17 for an 11-day stay but will now continue strength and conditioning work on home turf

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Surrey have called off a pre-season trip to Dubai on the advice of local authorities amid ongoing global uncertainty about the coronavirus.

The 2018 County Championship winners had been planning an 11-day stay in the United Arab Emirates ahead of the new season, with flights for the men's squad set for March 17.

However, the club will instead remain in training at The Oval, where a marquee has been erected across eight pitches of the central square for all-weather outdoor training.

The trip had been expected to be Surrey's third annual excursion to the UAE, with plans now under way to return ahead of the 2021 summer in light of more than 70 cases of COVID-19 being confirmed in the country so far.

The news follows similar re-arrangements announced by Lancashire and Worcestershire earlier this week.

In a statement, director of cricket Alec Stewart said: "While it's disappointing we won't be able to return to Dubai this year, the health of our players and staff is paramount.

"The directive from Dubai Sports Council advising all venues to cancel or reschedule all international activities until the end of the month as a precautionary measure related to the spread of the COVID-19 means the ICC Academy are unable to host our training camp.

"As well as this, current uncertainties around travel and potential quarantine periods, either abroad or in the UK, mean this trip would simply be too disruptive to our preparations for the 2020 season."