A 38-member West Indies cricket team are set to reach Dhaka Sunday morning for a month-long tour of Bangladesh.
Through this home series, Bangladesh will welcome back international cricket since the world was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic in March last year.
The visitors however, are coming with an inexperienced squad after their top players pulled themselves out from the tour citing Covid-19 related concerns or personal fears.
The Caribbean side will play a two-match Test and a three-ODI series against Bangladesh.
Members of the West Indies team are travelling to Dhaka with Covid-19 negative reports and will undergo three-day quarantine in hotel.
Before being allowed to the nets at the Academy Ground of Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Thursday, the tourists will have to clear a round of Covid-19 testing.
The samples will be collected on the third day of quarantine.
West Indies are sending a depleted contingent after 10 players, including test captain Jason Holder and limited-overs skipper Kieron Pollard, pulled out of the Bangladesh tour over Covid-19 concerns
Posted by Sports Tribune on Friday, 8 January 2021
Following four days of practice in the nets, the Windies will play an inter-squad one-day warm-up game at BKSP Ground 3 on January 18.
The West Indies are reaching Bangladesh on the back of a Covid-19 scare after fast bowling all-rounder Romario Shepherd had tested positive for the virus.
Shepherd was replaced with Keon Harding in the one-day squad.
Meanwhile the 24-member Bangladesh ODI squad will have their first practice session as a unit Sunday and later check-in to the hotel and remain in bio-secure bubble throughout the series.
All results from the first phase of Covid-19 testing among Bangladesh players, officials had come out as negative.
The first phase of testing was done Thursday and the second phase of testing was scheduled for Saturday.
Bangladesh cricketers are set to play two inter-squad warm-up games on January 14 and January 16 at BKSP following which the final ODI squad is likely to be announced on January 17.
All the results from the first phase of Covid-19 testing among players, officials and associate members for the upcoming West Indies series have come out as negative.
Posted by Sports Tribune on Friday, 8 January 2021
The series is coming as a big relief to Bangladesh who haven’t played international cricket since March last year.
With the pandemic at large, Bangladesh Cricket Board had suspended all cricket activities in the country, and also postponed all international schedules.
Top level competitive cricket in the country returned in October last year through a three-team one-day tournament called the BCB President’s Cup, followed by a five-team Bangabandhu T20 Cup in November-December.
With the two tournaments involving local players, BCB gained confidence in managing a bio-bubble and later convinced the West Indies to go ahead with the tour.
The first two ODIs will be played on January 20 and 22 in Mirpur while the third ODI will be played in Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on January 25.
The first Test will begin on February 3 at ZACS while the second and final Test will be played in Dhaka from February 11.