Bangladesh Cricket Board looks for ways to get Dhaka Premier League back on the road

The 2019-20 Dhaka Premier League, which couldn’t be completed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, might resume at two specific hubs, it emerged after an online meeting between the BCB and several Bangladeshi cricketers and the players’ association, but the high-risk situation in the country hasn’t yet allowed the authorities to provide a clear timeframe or roadmap for the return of domestic cricket.

Despite that, Kazi Inam Ahmed, chairman of the cricket committee of the Dhaka Metropolis team, stressed that there has been an attempt to ensure that the board, the clubs and the players remain “mentally prepared” to start the league in two-weeks’ notice, whenever that might be.

“Players want to get back to playing but the BCB has to decide after talking to different government bodies and agencies,” Ahmed told ESPNcricinfo. “We cannot mention a particular date because we haven’t reached that stage yet. But I want the clubs to be prepared for a two-weeks’ notice. The same goes for players and our facilities. We have to get things in order now, so that we can turn things around in a short time.”

During the meeting, which was also attended by senior national-team players Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah, BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, board directors Naimur Rahman and Khaled Mahmud (who are also president and vice-president of the players’ association respectively), and several other stakeholders, Ahmed suggested that the facility at Bangladesh Krira Shikhkha Protishthan (BKSP) and the stadia in Cox’s Bazar be used.

“I can totally have players and staffs in complete isolation (at BKSP and Cox’s Bazar),” he said. “I will be doing an internal assessment, because I want to make sure we have enough facilities in these two venues.

BKSP is a sports institute situated in Savar, 40km from Dhaka, where three cricket grounds usually host first-class and Dhaka Premier League matches. It also has hostels for athletes and students and professional cricket teams often stay there during competitions. Cox’s Bazar is a beach town with two cricket grounds – which have hosted women’s international matches and games of the 2016 Under-19 World Cup – located very close to the main hotel and restaurant strip.

The players’ association, meanwhile, said that it had requested the BCB to tell the Premier League clubs to pay each player half of their agreed fees.

There is likely to be a meeting next week, in which the BCB is expected to ask the clubs to be prepared for a quick restart, but it is unlikely that any decision will be made until the Eid ul Azha holidays, from July 31 to August 3.

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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