Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Cricket operation chairman Akram Khan has on Tuesday (June 9) revealed that Bangladesh team’s tour of Sri Lanka next month is unlikely to go ahead as per schedule as the players “didn’t show any interest” for the tour.
While Sri Lankan cricketers have resumed training, Bangladesh cricketers are yet to have a camp due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, and Akram said the team can’t play international cricket “without proper preparation”.
However, Sri Lanka Cricket has been pushing for a revised schedule in September, but the BCB is yet to commit anything.
Bangladesh is scheduled to tour Sri Lanka in July-August 2020 to play three Tests that all are part of the inaugural 2019–21 ICC World Test Championship.
Akram told Cricbuzz: “Yes, we had spoken with some of the players and they did not show any interest. I think chances are very slim about the Sri Lanka tour commencing on the scheduled time frame.”
He further explained, “Where Sri Lanka is thinking of playing cricket, we are yet to resume training at our own backyard and more importantly we cannot say when the condition will improve. We are trying to find out who wants to train individually so that we can prepare the ground for them but I am not too sure whether everyone wants to do it or it is just a wish of few cricketers.”
Akram signed off by saying, “We cannot go there without proper preparation because it is a three-match Test series. The players are out of cricket for a long time so after returning to cricket they will at least need 40 days of training comprised of one-month skill training following a 10 days fitness camp. So, we cannot commit anything right away regarding the Sri Lanka tour.”
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
