BCB asks Sri Lanka to reschedule Bangladesh' tour over quarantine rules

Bangladesh were set to resume cricketing activities with the tour of Sri Lanka, starting with the first Test from October 24. However, the series won’t be going ahead for the time being after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) showed its reservations over the 14-day quarantine rule.

The BCB, has subsequently, asked Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to reschedule the tour. Earlier, it was learned that SLC was clear-cut in saying that the tour won’t be going ahead if the players aren’t ready to serve the quarantine period, locked indoors with no training facilities.

“We have asked them to reschedule the tour, we cannot do a tour with a 14-day quarantine in place. We will go when things get better and these conditions are not applied. I don’t think there is any chance for further discussion with SLC.

“We have informed them to reschedule the series. If it was possible for them, they would have done it by now,” Nazmul Hasan Papon, the BCB chairman, was quoted as saying to the reports in Dhaka.

This isolation will have a big impact on Bangladesh players, says Papon

Papon said that the players may go through mental turmoil after having to serving a quarantine period. “Like I had previously said, it is not possible to play Test championship under the guidelines they had given,” he stated.

“The players cannot go out even from their room. This isolation will have a big impact on the players mentality. It is not possible for us to play this way,” Papon added.

The series was set to be a part of the ICC World Test Championship. The Tigers, under the leadership of Mominul Haque, last played an international game on their tour of Pakistan. The second Test at the National Stadium in Karachi had to be called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their one-off ODI in Karachi also couldn’t take place as the third leg of their tour was called off. In the meantime, Papon also said that they are looking to resume playing domestic cricket. For the time being, they plan for a few intra-squad matches in the coming weeks. There’s no conformation even on the next edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).