The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) held a hearing yesterday in relation to the breach of bio-secure bubble during a Mohammedan practice session with skipper Shakib Al Hasan among those present. The outcome of the hearing was strange however as despite the affirmation that a breach of bio-bubble had indeed taken place with Mohammedan officials admitting to be aware of it, there were no fines or suspensions meted out even as both BCB and CCDM suggested that the matter was being taken seriously.
On June 5, a media release from the two bodies said that a breach of bio bubble occurred during a practice session of Mohammedan Sporting Club the previous day.
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The hearing was held in presence of Chairman CCDM Kazi Inam Ahmed, Head of tournament’s technical committee Jalal Yunus and BCB CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury. Shakib Al Hasan along with Mohammedan’s top management and club manager were present in the hearing.
“Unfortunately, the breach that took place, they [Mohammedan] were aware of it and they shared that fact. They acknowledged and regretted the incident. From the BCB and CCDM we want to ensure that the tournament takes place safely in the future. To make sure of that we communicated with the clubs and we are continuously working to maintain bio bubble. So that a further breach does not occur, we will give Mohammedan players and officials a further letter or notice and we are hoping to complete the tournament successfully,” CCDM chairman Inam said in a video press release.
It was learned that a person from outside the bio bubble entered the Mirpur indoor stadium during Shakib’s batting practice on June 4 with no security personnel stopping that person from entering the bio-secure environment.
A letter or notice was all that Mohammedan is likely to be served if the two bodies do not see further action befitting the incident. But what precedence does it set for the rest of the league when a club or player is allowed to flaunt with the bio-secure environment and then not be fined or suspended? Even more bizzare are the safety protocols being breached and BCB or CCDM not mentioning whether there were further coronavirus tests carried out to keep the league safe. There was no mention of quarantining Shakib following the breach either as Mohammedan played Prime Bank on June 5 at Dhaka, a day after the breach took place.
BCB chief physician Debashish Chowdhury was enquired regarding whether any talks of quarantine or further tests were held following the breach. “Such matters lie with the technical committee. Even if there was a breach, a test will not confirm anything a day after, since the virus takes time to spread,” Debashish said.
“Generally, we usually go for tests over a wider net than singular cases if a breach occurred. No tests were carried out in this instance,” he informed.
In case of a breach, there are provisions for fines, suspensions and even points being docked but the governing bodies saw it fit to not even issue a fine. Even as the fingers may have been pointed at club officials and players regarding the breach, question remains regarding BCB’s security measures to control the bio bubble if a person can enter the bio bubble without being obstructed.
Having reportedly spent TK seven crore to maintain the bio bubble, BCB and CCDM let Shakib and Co. off the hook, but perhaps more importantly set a precedence that does not fit the seriousness they claim to have regarding the safety of the players in the whole league.
