‘The cricketers want to play’
Amidst all the concerns and uncertainty in the sporting world due to the coronavirus outbreak, there are still sentiments among Bangladesh cricketers and club officials to continue the Dhaka Premier League (DPL). The country's prestigious fifty over tournament was stopped after the first round and almost all the players are hoping that the league resumes soon despite a recent directive from the government to stop all local and international sporting events for the time being.
Bangladesh's upcoming tour to Pakistan later this month was also postponed due to health risks and the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier League was postponed as well.
No one can even begin to speculate when things will return to normality but although the DPL games were postponed, defending champion Abahani are still continuing their camps and the team even took part in a training session yesterday.
"We had a game tomorrow [Wednesday] which won't take place, but we want to play. I have spoken to the boys and they also want to play. We know that there is a threat and we are safe here in the academy. It's actually not safe for the players if they go out. There is also concern that the league will get stopped and never resume again," Abahani coach and BCB director Khaled Mahmud told reporters yesterday.
"Ramadan is approaching and the question remains whether we will be able to complete the league or not. But it's a directive from the government and we have to give it importance. It's important to return to the field because the boys want to play."
Meanwhile, national selection panel member and former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar termed the situation 'unique' and said that there was nothing to do but wait.
"The current situation is something unique. I have never faced such a situation in my life. It's not just the cricketing nations, all the sporting events and even daily life has been hampered due to the coronavirus worldwide. At the moment, we can only wait for things to become normal," Bashar told The Daily Star yesterday.
However, the 47-year-old believes it will be important for players to focus on fitness during the off period because they will not get enough time to prepare when everything returns to normal.
"Obviously, I can't force the players to work on their skills during this time as there is nothing for them to do at the moment. But they can work on their fitness at home in various ways because whenever things return to normal, matches will resume in a very short time. So if the players remain fit, it will definitely help them get in the groove right away," he added.
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