CWI confirms Windies tour of Bangladesh amid COVID-19
st John’s, antigua (CMC) — Cricket West indies (CWI) has confirmed the men’s tour of Bangladesh next month, their third series amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
This follows a report by a CWI inspection team which travelled to the Asian nation last month to conduct a review of the facilities and health protocols.
In the draft itinerary released yesterday, West Indies will face the hosts in two Tests which will be preceded by three One-day Internationals. The tour runs from January 18 to February 15 with the Caribbean side arriving on January 10.
Three Tests were originally scheduled, but CWI President Ricky Skerritt hinted last month in an interview that one match could be dropped.
The tour takes place as Bangladesh inches towards the half-million mark in COVID-19 infections, with still over 60,000 active cases and 7,000 deaths.
However, CWI director Dr Akshai Mansingh, who headed the inspection team last month, said in a briefing following the tour that the Bangladesh Cricket Board had been thorough in their preparations.
“The protocols that were described to us by the BCB were very, very well thought out,” Mansingh said at the time.
“From a medical point of view, we are very happy… I am very confident what we saw is probably as good an arrangement as you can have anywhere in the world.”
CWI said yesterday the tour has been “approved in principle” following advice from its medical advisory committee, on the basis of the report received from Mansingh’s inspection team.
“The board of directors of Cricket West Indies (CWI) has approved in principle the tour of Bangladesh, subject to the finalisation of the medical and logistical details within the tour memorandum of understanding,” the release said.
“The approval in principle was made following a recommendation from CWI’S Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), having received a detailed report from the pre-tour visit of Bangladesh by CWI director and member of the CWI and ICC MAC, Dr Mansingh and security manager, Paul Slowe.
“CWI will continue discussions with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) to fine-tune the various arrangements in order to ensure the health and safety of the players and team management unit.”
West Indies will play a one-day warm-up game before facing the two hosts in the first two ODIS slated for the Sher-e-bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. They will then travel to Chattogram for the final game at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
Following a four-day warm-up game starting January 28, Windies will clash with Bangladesh in the opening Test also at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium before returning to Dhaka for the second Test.
CWI did not allude to quarantine measures which will be mandated on arrival in Bangladesh.