No opportunity before May: Hassan
We are going to maintain the highest level of caution. We don't know where, when or how it will end. I think after April there may be a chance to talk but before that I don't think that there is an opportunity to talk about sports.
Nazmul Hassan
BCB President
Sport worldwide has grinded to a halt following the outbreak of the coronavirus, with events postponed in order to stop the spread of the virus.
In Bangladesh, State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russel on March 16 informed that all sporting activities would be postponed till March 31.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan took it a step further, telling The Daily Star yesterday that there was no opportunity to consider starting sports before May.
Caution was on the BCB president's mind after several footballers already contracted the disease.
"We are going to maintain the highest level of caution. We don't know where, when or how it will end. I think after April there may be a chance to talk but before that I don't think that there is an opportunity to talk about sports," he said.
The Dhaka Premier League's (DPL) second round was postponed on March 16 and the BCB was mulling the completion of the tournament when normal services resumed.
"After April, if it appears that the situation is in our favour, we can think about the DPL and whether we can finish it. The reason we need time is because, when sports would begin again after such a crisis, we need some preparation. What will happen to the international calendar and the series which were not played is not clear yet. I have been in talks with other ICC members and no one can grasp when the calamity might end. So we don't know the fate of the international schedules yet. We would like to start with the DPL in April to be give ourselves some time to get prepared," Hassan said.
He said that they would be "focusing on what the other teams in the subcontinent are doing and how they will plan going forward" and reiterated that their highest priority will be to "remain cautious and not to rush".
The DPL is the prime source of income for many cricketers and without any matches a lot of cricketers not under the BCB's first-class contract list are fearing financial hardships. The BCB had on March 28 announced that players who were not under its central contract list would receive a one-time incentive.
"It is our duty to help out the cricketers," Hassan said, before informing that BCB had contacted concerned authorities to make a donation to a government fund to fight the virus.