WI to send inspection team to BD for assessing Covid-19 protocols

Dr Akshai Mansingh, Cricket West Indies (CWI) board director and Paul Slowe, the board's security manager, are set to visit Dhaka and Chattogram next week to inspect the Bangladesh Cricket Board's bio-security plans and health protocols.

This news comes following CWI President Ricky Skerritt's statement that West Indies are keen to tour Bangladesh, as scheduled, in January 2021, reports ESPNcricinfo.

West Indies are supposed to play three test matches, three ODIs and two T20Is on the tour, but it is likely that the test series will be reduced to two matches.

"We would be the first international team to visit Bangladesh since the onset of the pandemic," ESPNcricinfo quoted CWI CEO Johnny Grave as saying.

"Acting always with the health and safety of our touring party at the forefront of our minds, we have decided to conduct a pre-tour recce by sending two highly experienced professionals to assess the BCB's bio-security plans and protocols.

"Our respective medical and operations teams have held a number of positive meetings over the last few weeks and following receipt of the report from our inspection team, a recommendation will be made to our board of directors on whether it is safe to tour Bangladesh early next year," Grave added.

The West Indies men's team are currently touring New Zealand for three T20Is and two test matches.

The BCB is currently staging the five-team Bangabandhu T20 Cup in which they are keeping all the teams in a bio-bubble, allowing them only to commute between the hotel and the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

They also held the three-team President's Cup tournament last month, which also had a BCB-sponsored bio-bubble.