In their quest to have a competitive series against a strong-studded New Zealand team on their own backyard, Bangladesh will start light practice session from Thursday. As everyone knows, Team Bangladesh is currently going through a quarantine period in their hotel. Cricketers, coaching, supporting staff and respective officials are spending time wisely in their respective hotel rooms.
Monday was the fifth day of two-week long quarantine period after arriving in New Zealand. Tuesday (today) on the sixth day Tigers will go through third round of the corona test. If all goes well, on the seventh day, that is, from Wednesday, the gym session will start. The Bangladesh cricketers will be allowed to begin their light practice sessions after seven days in quarantine, which is from Thursday. They will have to train in groups of five members each and will be finally allowed to begin full-fledged practice after the 14-day quarantine. All the members of the Bangladesh team tested negative in the first test and will have to undergo two more tests in the first week. Following their 14-day quarantine, Bangladesh will have a five-day training camp in Queenstown.
However, if all goes well, the Tigers will be able to start full-fledged training session from March 10 if everyone is tested negative in the fourth round of the Covid-19 test.
Jalal Yunus, senior director of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and chairman of the media committee, who is currently with the teamon their tour of New Zealand, said that, the national team players will fly from Christchurch to Queenstown on March 10.
The next step will be to start practice session in Queenstown. After a week of practice there, team’s destination will then be Dunedin. The Tigers' first ODI with the Blackcaps on March 20 will be held in that city.
Jalal Yunus said in a mobile phone conversation with the media on Monday afternoon that everyone in the team is healthy. No one is having any difficulty in staying and eating in the hotel rooms. If everything goes well, we will be able to roam freely from March 10. Then we will no longer be in Christchurch as our destination will be Queenstown.
After completing the mandatory 14-day quarantine period, the visitors will be allowed to mix with locals and roam freely around the country.Jalal added that the flight from Christchurch is only 1 hour to Queenstown.
The three ODIs will be held on March 20, 23 and 26 in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington respectively while the three T20Is will take place on March 28, 30 and April 1 in Hamilton, Napier and Auckland respectively.