Bangladesh's visit to Sri Lanka for three World Test Championship fixtures is being hovered around by clouds of uncertainty, as disagreements emerge over the period of isolation and training upon arrival between the two nation's cricket governing bodies.
The series is due to mark the return to international cricket for both the countries after an extended break amid COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said his board has been told by its Sri Lankan counterpart, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), that the visitors will have to quarantine for 14 days, during which the training will be prohibited.
This, says Hassan, is unacceptable to the BCB, pushing for relaxations in order to avail the national team more preparation time in the lead up to the Tests.
"The proposal we received is... not even close to what we agreed upon," Hassan told reporters in Dhaka. "Under these conditions, it is not possible for us to play the Test championship... This is not even close to what is being followed in some other parts of the world where cricket is being played during this time."
There is a compulsory regulation in place for everyone entering Sri Lanka. Each tourist is being made to go through a 14-day quarantine at a government-nominated facility, which includes some hotels.
Hassan, though, cited the fact that Bangladesh players haven't had much collective training time to stress home his point.
Training did resume in July, but only one player and a trainer are allowed inside the main stadium in Dhaka as part of precautionary measures.
"Our players have not been in training for seven months. If we can't train... then it's not possible to play a Test," he said.
Namal Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's Sports Minister, informed that he has told the country's cricket board to work with the health departments and ensure the tour goes ahead.
Bangladesh had planned a seven-day-long residential camp, starting September 21, before the scheduled departure. A week before, opening batsman Saif Hasan had tested positive for Covid-19.
(Inputs from AFP)
