Now, Bangladesh ask for three day quarantine

by Rex Clementine

Sri Lanka Cricket has been left with Hobson’s choice and postpone the three match Test series against Bangladesh after their cricket board had informed on Friday that they are willing to follow only three days of quarantine in Colombo ahead of the series.

Earlier, Bangladesh had informed SLC that they were willing to do only seven days of quarantine as opposed to two weeks of mandatory quarantine stipulated by the Health Ministry.

Sunday Island

learns that SLC had reached an agreement with Health Ministry to reduce the quarantine days to seven and then send all players and support staff into ‘a bubble’ and resume training ahead of the series.

However, with the tourists asking for a further reduction of quarantine days, there are doubts that the series will take place as expected next month. They are already in quarantine in Dhaka.

“We will know what are the guidelines the Health Ministry wants us to follow by Monday, but we don’t think that three days of quarantine is feasible. We know that the Health Ministry and the Task Force established to battle COVID-19 have done a terrific job in containing the pandemic and need to follow their guidelines,” an SLC official told Sunday Island.

“The problem is one of the Bangladesh players and a member of the support staff have been tested positive and we get the feeling the Health Ministry would not want to take any chances. So we will wait and see”

Bangladesh batsman Saif Hassan and trainer Nick Lee were tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. Interestingly, Lee was Sri Lanka’s trainer until recently before he joined Bangladesh.

The guidelines that Health Ministry issues to resume international cricket will be passed onto other cricket playing nations who are set to play bilateral series in Sri Lanka. SLC officials were not too sure whether they would be able to have any international cricket this year.

The Board however is confident that the inaugural Lanka Premier League tournament will take place as scheduled in November. SLC said that good progress is being made in organizing the event and a grand show is expected in November.