Bangladesh cricket tour hinges on conditions laid down by Health Ministry

Sri Lanka cricket team at practice ahead of the Bangladesh Test series

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Bangladesh’s cricket tour to Sri Lanka has come down to a stage where the conditions laid down by the Ministry of Health to safeguard the country from COVID-19 will have to be acceptable by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

Sri Lanka Cricket officials held a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Health yesterday.

“We met up with them and they gave us a proposal, which we would discuss internally and revert back to them tomorrow (Thursday). Only then will they issue the final document. We are having further discussions with them again tomorrow,” said Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva.  

“Once we get this report, we will address it with the COVID committee. We’ll seek advice from them also before we take it forward, because this is something which we have to take a lot of precautionary measures, we cannot take a risk,” continued De Silva.

“We will share the report with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and we will get their views how we want to go forward,” he said.

One of the conditions Sri Lanka Cricket is seeking is the reduction of the 14-day quarantine period.

“We are hoping that the quarantine period will be reduced from 14 days, because being in the hotel for 14 days, I don’t know whether the Bangladesh Board will agree to that, because they would be meeting the cost initially as they want to come in advance of the tour proper,” said De Silva.

“It’s not only the quarantine period, but how the series should be conducted physically, and the restrictions etc. have also to be met. Once you form this bio-bubble at a hotel, no outsider will be allowed to meet the Bangladesh team. Once they check-in, no one can have contact with the players or the staff. They would be completely isolated from the public and everybody, and even the media,” explained De Silva.

“I don’t know how many days they will have to remain in their rooms during the quarantine period. They will not be allowed to use the hotel gym, it is something we need to discuss with the health authorities. Before Bangladesh comes, they will have to go through the PCR test, after every 6 or 7 days they have to take it. Most probably after the quarantine period, they will have to take a PCR test, only then they will be allowed to go for training.

“Also, when they go for training, we will have to ensure there is only one driver. The guy assigned to drive the team bus would be with them for the entire tour, and it will be the same bus. That’s how we conducted our two residential camps in Colombo and in Pallekele. There will be a lot of guidelines which we will have to follow, basically,” De Silva added. Asked whether the Government would make it an exception to cricket and lower the quarantine period, De Silva replied, “We’ll have to see. We have played the domestic season very successfully, and we’ll have to explore all these issues before we get the approval.”

The Bangladesh national team is due to travel to Sri Lanka on 27 September to prepare for the tour, although the first of a series of three Tests does not begin until 24 October. They are also expected to send their Emerging team to play two 4-day games and three ODIs.