Don’t think it is to play now, says Hassan
Although the Tigers are experiencing a busy time with their international commitments, the scenario is pretty the contrary for the domestic players in Bangladesh.
The Dhaka Premier League was suspended following its first round because of the Covid-19 outbreak in March this past year and since then local cricketers have been going right through an anxious time.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) arranged the first-class National Cricket League in March this season, but that was also suspended after the first two rounds for an indefinite period due to a fresh increase in Covid-19 infection rates earlier this month.
The Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis announced they are planning to commence the DPL from May 6. However, the tournament will never be occurring in its original 50-over-a-side format as a busy international schedule will not allow for a wide enough window for this undertaking. Thus, the tournament this time will be played in T20 format.
Most local cricketers have already been struggling financially and cricketers from the 3rd to first division have all have already been looking forward to the leagues to begin with.
The DPL remains the principle source of income for some cricketers in the domestic circuit and the decision to get started the tournament was welcomed by the players.
However, keeping the existing Covid-19 situation in the united states at heart, the BCB also had to think about the health safety of the players. Although the Bangladesh Football Federation has already announced that it'll begin the next phase of the Bangladesh Premier League from April 30, there is still no very good news from BCB boss Nazmul Hassan regarding restarting the DPL.
"It is difficult to begin the league in this situation. If this situation continues, for me, I don't think it is right to play now. Until we cannot ensure a bio-secure bubble for players, there is absolutely no question of playing in that situation whether it's for just one team or ten," Hassan told media yesterday.
"The BCB is wanting its best and if they (clubs) can ensure us they can be in a position to continue the tournament by creating an effective bio-bubble then only we are able to play. But right now I think the probabilities are very slim."
