Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have finally agreed to play the three-match Test and T20I series despite the surge in coronavirus pandemic. The Tigers will tour Sri Lanka in October although the whole fixtures are yet to be confirmed.
After England, Pakistan and the West Indies got the cricket back, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had also found the hope to bring some show in their country. The tour was confirmed after a meeting between High Performance (HP) and the Cricket Operations Committee (COC).
Bangladesh likely to have national camp ahead of the tour:
As per COC chairman Akram Khan, the two boards have discussed on several aspects, especially on training camp. The two teams have not played any competitive match since March. So, to get back into the groove, they need sufficient time. Bangladesh is likely to have a training camp in mid-September before travelling to Sri Lanka.
“We discussed quite a few matters including conducting Covid-19 tests before the start of camp. We have made some good plans which will be communicated later. There was also the matter of how long we can prepare here before leaving for Sri Lanka and most probably we will train for 10-12 days from mid-September before departure,” the COC chairman said in a media release.
“The HP team is also going with us and will train with the national side before the national team’s series on October 24.” The Bangladesh cricketers will be accompanied by the HP team and they are likely to leave for Sri Lanka around September 23.
Shakib Al Hasan inclusion under doubt:
Akram informed that there is still no clarity over former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan inclusion in the series. He is currently under International Cricket council’s one-year suspension for breaching their anti-corruption code
“We discussed Shakib but there is much discussion left. We also discussed bringing the coach and support staff here and hopefully, we will be able to do that at the beginning of September,” Akram stated.
“We need to be clear about what the ICC guidelines say regarding his ban before we can move forward. We know that he can’t practice with the team before his ban comes to an end,” he added.
Earlier, it was reported that Shakib will resume his training in his alma mater, the BKSP facility at Dhaka‘s district Savar from September