Bangladesh's tour to Sri Lanka postponed due to COVID-19 concerns & unpreparedness
Following the postponement of their home series against New Zealand later this summer, Bangladesh have now announced that they will not be going ahead with their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh were scheduled to feature in a three-match Test series in Sri Lanka during the July-August window. However, with this latest development, the Tigers have had to postpone their fifth series due to the concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
In March, Bangladesh's 2nd Test versus Pakistan was deferred while the tour to the United Kingdom, which was slated for May, was also suspended owing to the worsening conditions in Europe.
Bangladesh's series against New Zealand was postponed recently
The Bangladesh Cricket Board's planned home series against Australia and New Zealand between June and September were also shelved and this new announcement regarding the tour of Sri Lanka becomes the latest addition to this list.
Sri Lanka, too, have had to endured their share of postponements as they look to resume cricket on the international front. Outfits such as England, India, and South Africa were meant to tour the island nation but COVID-19 put paid to such hopes.
Subsequently, it means that Bangladesh and Sri Lankan cricket fans will have to wait a bit longer to see their teams in action.
Bangladesh cricketers are yet to restart their training drills as the number of cases have soared in the country, with the tally recently crossing the 100,000 mark. Mashrafe Mortaza, left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam and opener Nafees Iqbal have already tested positive and are undergoing self-isolation.
Nizamuddin Chowdhury, BCB's CEO, shared his thoughts about the suspension of New Zealand's tour.
"In the present Covid-19 pandemic scenario, hosting a full cricket series in August 2020 will be a challenge in terms of preparations and we cannot take chances with the safety and health of players, support staff and related stakeholders. Under these circumstances, the BCB and NZC have felt that the best way forward would be to defer the series," he said.
The Shere-Bangla National Stadium, cricket's headquarters in Bangladesh, is also said to be within the red-zone, meaning that it can't be used for any cricketing activities at the moment.