DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – A Cricket West Indies inspection team has hailed the bio-secure arrangements put in place by the Bangladesh Cricket Board for West Indies’ proposed tour here next month.
CWI director, Dr Akshai Mansingh, along with security manager Paul Slowe, toured stadia in Dhaka and Chattogram, and also visited airports, hotels, hospitals and practice facilities, to ascertain their state of readiness.
The tour, expected to comprise Tests and limited overs matches, will be the first international series hosted by the country amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“The protocols that were described to us by the BCB were very, very well thought out,” Mansingh was quoted as saying during a media briefing here.
“The fact that there have been three competitions prior to our coming and one (T20 Cup) going on now obviously, they are well practiced [with bio-secure protocols].
“We are very happy with what we saw in Dhaka and Chattogram. The facilities are excellent. The COVID protocols are concise and tight.
“The national approach, both in the hotels and hospitals that we visited, comply with all international standards recommended for COVID-19.
“From a medical point of view, we are very happy and we now have to present our findings to the board of directors of CWI. “I am very confident what we saw is probably as good an arrangement as you can have anywhere in the world.”
Bangladesh has recorded nearly 465 000 COVID-19 cases with 6 600 deaths. Dhaka, the country’s capital, has reported over 300 000 cases.
If West Indies proceed with the series, it will mark their third international tour since the COVID-19 outbreak last March and the subsequent global cessation of cricket.
Unlike their current New Zealand tour, however, the Caribbean side will be subjected to tight protocols because of the elevated levels of infections.
“We have to make sure we are in quarantine. It is not just days, but negative tests as well. There has to be at least one negative test before coming and three negative tests while in Bangladesh,” Mansingh explained.
“That period is usually seven days, and that’s why the exact dates have to be worked out now. Certainly for the first three days, we suggest in-room quarantine. After the third day, we do a second test.
“After that is negative, we would like to do some practicing within our squad but not exposing ourselves to anybody else until seven days are passed. We will have inter-squad practice and activities.
“After day seven, the recommendation is that we should have net sessions with Bangladeshi players.”
West Indies last toured Bangladesh two years ago for a combination of Tests, One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals.
