Yesterday was supposed to be a busy day on the field for cricketers taking part in the Dhaka Premier League T20, but rain forced them to spend a rather lazy day in their hotel rooms yesterday.
Six matches were scheduled, but heavy rains since early in the day forced their postponement. According to the new schedule, the second round of matches will be held from today.
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According to the revised schedule, there will be three games in a day from June 2 to June 5. All matches will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, with the third game of the day starting from 6:00pm under lights. However, it will return to the previous schedule with two games in three different venues each day after June 5.
In the meantime, players and support staff at the twelve clubs, staying at four different hotels across the capital, enjoyed their day off. Among the most popular activities yesterday proved to be the Playstation, which today’s cricketers enjoy most during leisure time.
Prime Doleshwar SC cricketers spent the entire day battling against each other on FIFA.
“It was supposed to be a matchday and we were prepared for the game, but since early morning we saw the rain, which eventually forced all the matches to be postponed. Obviously, there was a sense of disappointment among all the players since the match was postponed. But because we don’t get enough breaks during a tournament like the DPL, we tried to utilise the day off and spent time on the Playstation,” said batsman and former national cricket Marshal Ayub.
Young Afif Hossain is rated as the best gamer among the Tigers, although the likes of Saif Hasan and the younger brigade of cricketers look like they could challenge the status quo with outstanding skills on the virtual stage.
While the juniors were busy on consoles, elder statesmen such as Mohammad Ashraful, Nasir Hossain and others opted for the more traditional ‘addas’ in their hotel rooms.
“We haven’t had the opportunity to stay in the same hotel during the Dhaka Premier League previously. Due to the coronavirus, we had to maintain a bio-secure bubble and staying together helped us gel really well. As there was no cricket due to rain, we opted for ‘addas’. Normally, we spend time together in my room and chit-chat about various issues and it’s fun. You need to relax your mind because staying in a bio-bubble can be mentally challenging at times,” Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan said.
The Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis has also allowed the families of players from the national team to stay together in hotel during the DPL. Mushfiqur Rahim is among the few players who decided to bring his family and stay together in the hotel, also making them part of the bubble.
