DHAKA – The Bangladesh national cricket team is all set to leave the country for Sri Lanka for a much-talked two-match Test series on April 12.
The date of departure however quelled the uncertainties over the tour, that was postponed twice in the pandemic-hit 2020. Firstly the outbreak of the Covid-19 forced the postponement of the tournament in last year’s July and then when there was a slot to make the tour happen in October, it was again postponed.
Sri Lanka hard quarantine rules were responsible in the second time to force the postponement of the tour further.
The two Tests however are the part of ICC World Test Championship. The ICC however had already got the two finalists of the WTC in India and New Zealand who would fight for the championship title in June.
In the wake of the situation, the series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka won’t matter but for both of them the Test series is imperative given the fact that they hardly got the chance to play Test cricket.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury informed that all of the two Test matches will be held in one venue to reduce the risk of Covid-19.
“Bangladesh team will stay in Colombo and both Test matches will be held in one venue,” the CEO said here today. “If everything is okay, Bangladesh will leave the country on April 12 for the two-match Test series.”
Chowdhury also said Bangladesh team would have to stay quarantine for six or seven days after arriving in Sri Lanka but the quarantine rules were not hard like the past the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) imposed.
Last time what led the tour’s postponement was Sri Lanka’s adamant position on maintaining 14-day room quarantine to which the BCB said no as they wanted practice facilities during the quarantine period.
“Bangladesh team will follow the protocols that will be imposed to reduce the risk of the Covid-19. Primarily, we would have to stay quarantine for six or seven days,” Chowdhury informed.
The Sri Lanka however will visit Bangladesh in May after the Test series. In their tour to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka will play a three-match ODI series, which are the part of ICC ODI Super League, a tournament that will determine
which countries will make a direct entry to the 2023 World Cup in India.
“Sri Lanka will visit our country after the Test series. They will arrive Bangladesh on May 20 and hopefully the three-match ODI series will start after Eid-ul-Fitr,” he said.BSS
