COVID-19 IMPACT
The series was originally slated for August-September 2020 © Getty
New Zealand’s tour of Bangladesh, originally slated for August-September 2020, has been postponed indefinitely. It becomes the latest in a series of World Test Championship fixtures affected by the Coronavirus pandemic even as the sport crawls back into action in certain other parts of the world.
“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,” BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said.
Kane Williamson’s side were to play two Tests across late August and early September. But where New Zealand have been effective in containing the spread of the virus, Bangladesh continue to grapple with it, with the death toll in the country recently crossing 1500. While the country resumed international flights earlier this week, restart of professional sport still seems a while away.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board, who have insisted on ensuring adequate safety for its players as well as sufficient practice times, will not be rushed into greenlighting top-flight cricket just yet with former captain Mashrafe Mortaza recently testing positive to COVID-19. With the Sri Lanka tour under a cloud, under the conditions, Bangladesh’s next assignment could very well be the Asia Cup or the T20 World Cup, two tournaments whose futures too remain uncertain. BCB and New Zealand Cricket will meanwhile work on identifying a suitable time to reschedule the series.
“Under these circumstances, the BCB and NZC have felt that the best way forward would be to defer the series. We realise that this will be hugely disappointing for the players and officials of both teams, not to mention the fans of the two nations but I must thank NZC for its understanding and for recognising the rationale behind such a decision,” Chowdhury said.
© Fame Dubai
