Sri Lanka tour set to be pushed back, BCB still in the dark
Earlier, the CEO of the BCB Nizam Uddin Chowdhury informed that the tour will be deferred as nothing is finalised yet. But he did not say anything about the series that is supposed to take place in October. But the chairman of cricket operations of BCB Akram Khan stated on Saturday that the series is going to be pushed back as well.
A decision is yet to come regarding Bangladesh's upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) still hasn't been made aware of Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) decision.
It's now clear that Bangladesh are not going to fly to Sri Lanka on September 27. Earlier, the CEO of the BCB Nizam Uddin Chowdhury informed that the tour will be deferred as nothing is finalised yet. But he did not say anything about the series that is supposed to take place in October. But the chairman of cricket operations of BCB Akram Khan stated on Saturday that the series is going to be pushed back as well.
The BCB has to wait another two-three days to know what the SLC has actually decided. As Saturday and Sunday are public holidays in Sri Lanka, the SLC might inform the BCB their decision on Monday or Tuesday. If there's a green signal, Bangladesh could fly to Sri Lanka on between September 7 and 10, as informed by Akram Khan.
"The SLC might let us know its proposal in two-three days' time. But we don't have any new information. They said that it wasn't under their control and the decision is complete the health ministry's. The SLC are expecting to hear from their health ministry within two-three days," said Akram.
Akram further mentioned that the BCB is not taking it negative and ready to wait as there's time.
"They are trying, but everything depends on their health ministry. I think they are positive and want the tour to happen. As today and tomorrow are holidays there, they might inform us on Monday or Tuesday," Akram stated.
There's enough time as the Lanka Premier League has been pushed back: "If everything goes on as expected, we will go to Sri Lanka on between September 7 and 10. As their T20 tournament has been deferred, time is not a cause of concern now."
There were rumours that the teams would play two Tests instead of three if the series was pushed back. But Akram Khan dismissed this saying, "There's enough time. According to the Test championship fixture, three Tests are to be played. So there is no possibility of the teams playing one less. They are yet to inform us anything officially. So, we have to wait."
The BCB are not in a hurry right now. This is the reason why the BCB are not putting pressure on the SLC. "We have time, so do they. The are continuously telling us that they'll let us know within a few days. It's not that we are willing to tour and they are reluctant to host us. If it had been so, we would've flown accepting their demands," said Akram.
"But we are not in rush. We have to make sure in the first place that the cricketers are fresh physically and mentally. We will do what it takes to bring the best out of our cricketers," concluded Akram.