Windies delegates due on Nov 28 to assess conditions for January tour

The Daily Star  November 24, 2020
Star Online Report

Bangladesh were awaiting a response from the West Indies Cricket board regarding West Indies’ tour of Bangladesh in January and Cricket Operations Chairman Akram Khan today said that two delegates from West Indies are set to arrive on November 28 to assess conditions.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had already sent a bio-bubble plan to Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the health authorities of the government and was awaiting a feedback before making the final decision.

“Two delegates are set to arrive on the 28th, a medical officer and another for security matters. They will be going to the two venues in Dhaka and Chattogram. They will write a report after their visit,” Akram told reporters today.

Akram was positive about the series taking place and said: “We have made good progress through our talks and there is a very good chance of the series taking place.”

BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury had earlier reiterated that the board was willing to complete the tour in a short time. While the tour was originally slated to have three Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is, there is a possibility that it will be a two-Test series in order to accommodate the tour schedule within a short period.

Hosting an international series after the pandemic might be challenging in regards to maintaining safety protocols, but BCB is gradually gaining experience by hosting domestic competitions.  The Bangabandhu T20 Cup tournament began today at Mirpur and holding the tournament successfully will further strengthen BCB’s stance of hosting Windies effectively during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.