BCB to enhance safety measures as training halt extended
Players to be tested at home from today
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is planning to come up with a more organised approach to the national team's training amid the reality of a pandemic.
The board is looking to divide the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) premises into green and red zones after a few of the support staff displayed coronavirus-like symptoms, forcing the board to halt individual training for three days on Thursday.
They have now planned to extend the halt for a few more days to enhance precautionary measures.
"We are planning to take two more days to enhance measures," BCB Cricket Operations Chairman Akram Khan told The Daily Star yesterday. "We will also start the taking players' samples from home from tomorrow [Monday]."
BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury told The Daily Star: "We are planning to make the stadium more restricted than before and divide it into green and red zones. In the green zone, which is a safe zone, cricketers will be able to roam around safely.
"The red zone is not a bad zone or a risky zone; it is to create a restricted environment and we are even planning to provide accreditation for staff and groundsmen who will be at a safe distance from players."
"We are emphasising on the national team, high performance squad and the U-19 side and we have already been monitoring all the players through the Covid-19 wellbeing app. At the moment our main focus is on creating safer and uninterrupted training before sending the national and high-performance squad on the Sri Lanka tour," he said
The BCB CEO also said it has been difficult to organise training amid the pandemic, with new problems cropping up daily despite them being in constant touch with the England and West Indies cricket boards, who had ended the halt in international cricket with a Test series back in July.
Meanwhile, Tigers' head coach Russell Domingo along with fielding coach Ryan Cook was likely to arrive yesterday night although there have been issues over flights.
Domingo along with Cook will have to quarantine before joining the training. The selectors are expected to announce a squad within a few days, after which the Tigers will undergo a short residential camp before travelling to Sri Lanka in late September for a three-Test series.