Bangladesh opening batsman Saif Hasan, along with Bangladesh Cricket Board’s head of physical performance Nicholas Lee have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
BCB confirmed this in a press release Tuesday after test samples were collected Monday from 24 individuals, including 17 players, in Dhaka.
As they had no visible symptoms leading up to the sample collection, the BCB’s medical team has advised Saif and Lee to go into self-isolation immediately in accordance with the Covid-19 management protocol until they undergo another test.
It may be noted that Lee had earlier reported positive on August 14 in Dubai, and negative on August 23 after 10 days in isolation.
Lee, who joined the Bangladesh national team coaching staff last March on a three-year contract, also completed a 14-day self-quarantine on arrival in the capital prior to Monday’s test.
BCB’s sports physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury said, “Our consultant for Covid-19 is reviewing Lee’s case to determine whether it is a new or previous infection before advising on the management plan.”
The Tigers and the High Performance Unit are scheduled to travel to Sri Lanka later this month where the former will lock horns with the host in a three-match Test series, part of the World Test Championship.
Players were practicing in individual sessions which began before Eid-ul-Adha and continued after the Eid holidays, when a large number of players joined across five venues of the country.
BCB however, was forced to suspend the individual training sessions at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium last week after one of the board’s trainer tested Covid-19 positive, and two coaching staff members showed symptoms of the virus.
BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury later informed the media that they were mulling a more organized setup to combat the spread of the virus, and thinking of splitting the home of cricket in the country in Mirpur into green and red zones.
The new safety measures undertaken by the BCB will be taken in order to ensure the national team, HP squad and Bangladesh U-19 side an uninterrupted and safe training environment.
As part of the BCB’s coronavirus management plan, and to make sure player safety for training sessions leading up to the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka, samples for Covid-19 test were collected from the national team players, probables and relevant support personnel Monday.
Before the Sri Lanka series, players and the squad probables will be tested three more times before flying to the island nation.
The right-handed Saif made his Test debut against Pakistan earlier this year, and is likely to be selected for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.
