Despite concerns, DPL begins today
With the outbreak of coronavirus having a major impact on the sporting world, upcoming international and domestic events in Bangladesh were also affected.
Many sports federations had grand plans to commemorate the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman but those plans were forced into postponement while federations had to cancel most of the local and international events scheduled to begin in recent times.
International events of archery, volleyball, basketball, golf and cycling were postponed along with the Bangladesh national football team's World Cup qualifiers.
The BCB's plans to host a concert on March 18 were deferred while the two T20 games that would follow, between Asia XI and World XI, on March 21 and 22 were also postponed. The BCB is also monitoring the national team's upcoming tour to Pakistan, scheduled for later this month, and with things going the way they have been, that tour is also in jeopardy.
Domestically, the Bangladesh Games, a multi-sport extravaganza that was to be arranged on a large scale and set to begin from April 1, were also postponed along with all relevant training camps.
However, the country's top-tier football competition, the Bangladesh Premier League, and a few age-level football and hockey tournaments have continued while the country's prestigious 50-over club-based tournament, the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, is set to begin from today.
Despite the cricketers and board focusing on matches, precautionary measures and containment issues have remained a major talking point in the cricketing arena.
BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury informed that the board was well aware of the situation and had taken precautionary measures by raising awareness and even discouraging the traditional handshake between players.
"We have given an advisory to the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis and also to the clubs. We will follow the guidelines and steps given by the government and the medical advisories. We have already communicated with the clubs and also had a meeting and the BCB will ensure medical support if any player or official falls ill or even has any symptoms. We have told them to contact the medical team. The club must also inform us and we will take steps accordingly," he told reporters yesterday.
"We are also trying to minimise handshakes. We are habituated but we have to keep in mind the recent practice around us is to discourage it."
According to Nizamuddin, the measures regarding the crowd such as reducing ticket sales was only a consideration for international games. He said there would be no such restrictions needed for DPL matches. And why not? Spectators have already lost interest in going to the stadiums and supporting their clubs in the domestic leagues as club competitions have lost most of their charm over time.
Amidst all that noise, clubs and players have started preparations. Abahani take on Partex SC, Legends of Rupganj face Old DOHS SC and Prime Doleshwar SC meet Brothers Union in the first-round games across venues in Dhaka today.
Newly-appointed ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal, who will feature for Prime Bank CC this season, was well aware of the coronavirus outbreak and said that the situation was a matter of concern.
"Like everyone, I am also worried about it. I hope the entire world will be able to overcome this tough time. There is a lot to be concerned by as sporting events worldwide have been cancelled. But I am sure our authorities have taken the decision after contemplating it. We were asked to continue playing and we were ready to play. Obviously, we will work accordingly if we get further instructions in the future. About handshakes, it's better for us to avoid it. In our culture many might not like that but the situation is like that," Tamim told reporters yesterday.
Comments