Depleted by stars refusing to tour during the coronavirus pandemic, West Indies players will face multiple Covid-19 tests in Bangladesh before they even get close to a five-day match against their hosts.The normally carefree Caribbean stars have been put on edge by a trip to South Asia and captain Jason Holder along with Kieron Pollard and Darren Bravo will be among a host of players missing when the squad arrives on Sunday.The tourists will go straight into a seven-day quarantine bubble to prepare for the three one-day internationals and two Tests against Bangladesh who are already in their own bubble.There has been no international cricket in Bangladesh since March and the cricket board is taking no chances.&quot;We will do everything that is needed to keep the series risk free,&rdquo; BCB chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury told AFP. The two countries agreed on health protocols in December.&quot;They will be tested immediately after arrival and then again after three days and then after travelling to Chittagong.&quot;They will be tested in multiple times in different layers and if a player develops any symptom he will be isolated immediately,&quot; he added.The first three days of their quarantine will be in isolation in a hotel. The players will have to pass a test to be allowed together after that. Their first warmup match is on January 18.Bangladesh is providing some net bowlers and even they will be in their own separate bubble that will also be used to keep ground staff and drivers away from risky contacts.On top of Holder, Pollard and Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran declined to travel because of coronavirus fears.And all-rounder Romario Shepherd failed a coronavirus test just before the team&#39;s departure meaning uncapped Keon Harding had to be called up at the last minute.Bangladesh could sense an upset victory against such weakened opponents, but they are still cautious.&quot;I think this West Indies team is still a very good side,&quot; said former skipper and current selector Habibul Bashar.&quot;Who we are playing against, who is coming, that is not important. What is important is how we play,&quot; he added.&quot;It&rsquo;s going to be an interesting series for both teams.&quot;After their warmup game against a local side, West Indies take on Bangladesh in two ODIs in Dhaka on January 20 and 22 with the final one-day game in Chittagong on January 25.The first Test starts February 3 in Dhaka, with the second getting underway on February 11.All the matches will be played in empty stadiums.Bangladesh has recorded more than 500,000 pandemic cases but its fatality rate has been one of the world&#39;s lowest.

The tourists will go straight into a seven-day quarantine bubble to prepare for the three one-day internationals and two Tests against Bangladesh

West Indies tour of Bangladesh, 2021

West Indies

Bangladesh

Weakened West Indies face 'multiple' tests on Bangladesh tour

All-rounder Romario Shepherd has failed a coronavirus test ahead of the West Indies&#39; arrival in Bangladesh, further depleting a squad already reeling from coronavirus problems.The West Indies squad, due to arrive in Dhaka on Sunday, has already lost eight established stars including Kieron Pollard and Darren Bravo who chose not to travel in the pandemic.West Indies have called up Keon Harding to replace Shepherd in the squad which will play three one-day internationals, two Twenty20s and two Tests in Bangladesh.The tourists will undergo seven days&#39; quarantine after their arrival. The first ODI is on January 20.Shepherd returned a positive Covid-19 test in his Guyana hometown, Cricket West Indies said in a statement.&quot;In accordance with the established government stipulations, Shepherd will remain in Guyana where he is undergoing a period of isolation that unfortunately will extend beyond the team travel date,&quot; it said.The board said all the other player tests were negative.The absence of Shepherd, who has played five ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals, is a further blow after the withdrawal of Pollard, Bravo, Jason Holder, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran.All pulled out of the tour due to Covid-19 concerns. Bangladesh has recorded more than 500,000 pandemic cases but its fatality rate has been one of the world&#39;s lowest.

West Indies have called up Keon Harding to replace Shepherd in the squad which will play three ODIs, two T20Is and two Tests in Bangladesh

Romario Shepherd

Shepherd out of Bangladesh tour with coronavirus

Bangladesh have appointed former English first-class cricketer Jon Lewis as their new batting coach, a statement said.&nbsp;The 50-year-old Englishman is a replacement for former South Africa batsman Neil McKenzie who stepped down in August following the worldwide virus crisis.Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said in the statement that Lewis is expected to reach Dhaka ahead of Bangladesh&rsquo;s preparation camp for the West Indies series, which starts on January 10.The former Durham and Essex batsman scored over 10,000 runs over 17 seasons in the English county championship.&nbsp;The BCB hired former Kiwi batsman Craig McMillan as a batting consultant for an October series in Sri Lanka, but he pulled out for family reasons.Lewis has been in coaching career since 2007 and gained recent experience of working with England&rsquo;s ODI side as its batting coach.He earlier worked with Sri Lanka in 2018-2019 as a batting coach and as Durham head coach between 2013 and 2018.The West Indies are due to tour Bangladesh for three one-day internationals and two Tests.It is the first series in the South Asian nation since March, when the pandemic saw global sporting events being cancelled or postponed.Bangladesh team will then head for New Zealand in the last week of February for three ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals.

The former Durham and Essex batsman scored over 10,000 runs over 17 seasons in the English county championship

Bangladesh name Jon Lewis as new batting coach

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Monday named Shakib Al Hasan in the preliminary squad for the Test and T20I series against the West Indies, marking the star all-rounder&#39;s return to national reckoning after serving a ban for not reporting corrupt approaches. The southpaw was banned for two years, one year of it was suspended, for failing to report corrupt approaches by an alleged Indian bookie during the Indian Premier League.He had served as Bangladesh&#39;s Test and T20I captain before his ban, which ended on October 29 last year. Former skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, who is the country&#39;s highest wicket-taker in the 50 over format and also the longest-serving captain, was left out of the 24-member ODI squad. &quot;We respect him (Mortaza), he has done a lot for the country. I have spoken to him in detail, so there&#39;s not going to be any misunderstanding. It was tough but we have to consider the reality and keep looking forward,&quot; chief selector Minhajul Abedin was quoted as saying by &#39;ESPNCricinfo&#39;.&quot;We took a combined decision after long discussions with team management, and considering everything (decided to) to put off Mashrafe.&quot;We didn&#39;t leave anything out. Everyone participated in the discussion including the fitness trainer and bowling coach. For the player who replaces him, it will be a fresh start. We have to expose our young players,&quot; he added.The selected players will take part in a training camp next week and will play two practice matches on January 14 and 16. The West Indies tour of Bangladesh begins with an ODI in Dhaka on January 20, followed by matches on January 22 (Dhaka) and 25 (Chittagong).The two Tests will be played from February 3 to 7 and February 11 to 15 in Chittagong and Dhaka respectively.Bangladesh&#39;s preliminary squadsODIs: Tamim Iqbal (c), Momimul Haque, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mustafizur Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Mohammad Mithun, Taijul Islam, Liton Das, Nurul Hasan, Yasir Ali, Shadman Islam, Saif Hassan, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed, Ebadot HossainTests: Momimul Haque, Taskin Ahmed, Tamim Iqbal, Khaled Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mustafizur Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Mohammad Mithun, Taijul Islam, Liton Das, Nurul Hasan, Yasir Ali, Shadman Islam, Saif Hassan, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain.

The southpaw was banned for two years, one year of it was suspended, for failing to report corrupt approaches

Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib named in preliminary Test, T20I squad against West Indies

Bangladesh said international cricket will return to the country in January with a tour by the West Indies after the Covid-19 disruption.The Caribbeans will play three one-day internationals and two Tests against the home side in January and February in what would be the first series in the country since March, said the Bangladesh Cricket Board.&quot;We have planned to keep them strictly in a bio-secure environment during the tour,&quot; BCB chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury told AFP.&quot;We are now working with West Indies Cricket Board about how the tour could proceed in the best way,&quot; he said.According to an itinerary released by the BCB, the tourists will arrive on January 10 and quarantine for seven days before a warm-up match against a local selection on January 18.The first two ODIs of the series will be held in Dhaka on January 20 and 22.&nbsp;Chittagong will host the final ODI on January 25 before a four-day warm-up match and the first Test from February 3-7.Dhaka&#39;s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium will host the final Test from February 11-15.Zimbabwe were the last international team to visit Bangladesh in February-March before the COVID-19 pandemic.Two home series against Australia and New Zealand in June and August were cancelled along with a number of domestic competitions.Bangladesh recently resumed cricketing activities with successive Twenty20 tournaments, but where only local players participated.

The Caribbeans will play three one-day internationals and two Tests in the series

West Indies tour of Bangladesh

West Indies to tour Bangladesh in Jan-Feb 2021

Cricket West Indies has indicated that the away Test series against Bangladesh early next year could be reduced to two matches from three, citing the &quot;pressures&quot; that have come with the COVID-19 pandemic.CWI assured that the &quot;best available&quot; team will be sent for the tour in January comprising three Tests, as many ODIs and two T20Is but wants the five-day games to be reduced.&quot;There has been an option to reduce from three to two Tests but it is not finalised yet. It will be finalised within the next few days,&quot; Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.&quot;The problem is (that) we have to look at it from all perspectives, that of COVID-19, scheduling and cost. These days, the pressures that COVID has brought to world cricket are significant in terms of revenue.&quot;We want to come to Bangladesh because we respect the relationship and the bilateral agreements that we have.&quot;While Bangladesh is yet to play any international cricket since March, West Indies were one of the first to resume post the COVID-19 break when it toured England in July.The West Indies are currently touring New Zealand for three T20 Internationals and two Tests and that engagement will end on December 15.&quot;I just want to assure you that we will always send the best available team to any tour that we undertake, including Bangladesh. We believe a tour to Bangladesh is always a challenging tour because it is an environment that&#39;s very different to our own conditions,&quot; Skerritt said.&quot;We are doing everything we can to participate in tours abroad and at home. The COVID-19 pandemic is making it extremely difficult to implement our plans.&quot;

"The problem is (that) we have to look at it from all perspectives, that of COVID-19, scheduling and cost"

CWI says West Indies could play two Tests instead of three in Bangladesh tour

Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been given an armed bodyguard after he was threatened by Islamists for attending a Hindu ceremony in neighbouring India, the country&#39;s cricket board said Wednesday. The cricketer is the latest target of Islamists in Bangladesh, who have also held large anti-France rallies in recent weeks following president Emmanuel Macron&#39;s defence of the right to publish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.The 33-year-old sparked a social media storm in the Muslim-majority nation after attending a ceremony in Kolkata dedicated to a Hindu goddess on November 12. A man who threatened Shakib on social media for &quot;hurting religious sentiment&quot; was arrested by police on Tuesday. &quot;The threat is concerning,&quot; Bangladesh Cricket Board&#39;s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told reporters in Dhaka.&quot;We took immediate measures and also informed the relevant security agencies. They are also taking necessary steps,&quot; Chowdhury added, without giving further details.He did not say if Shakib would receive round-the-clock protection. An armed bodyguard was seen beside Shakib during a training session in Dhaka on Wednesday ahead of a domestic Twenty20 tournament next week. The player on Monday publicly apologised for being at the event in Kolkata. Islamic preachers in Bangladesh say people should not attend the ceremonies of other faiths.Shakib is the International Cricket Council&#39;s top-ranked all-rounder in one-day internationals. In 2015, he became the first cricketer to hold the ICC&#39;s top all-rounder ranking in the game&#39;s three formats -- Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 internationals. Conservative Bangladesh has experienced increasing tensions between hardliners and secularists in recent years, suffering a spate of killings of atheist bloggers, religious minorities and foreigners.

The Bangladesh all-rounder was threatened by Islamists for attending a Hindu ceremony in neighbouring India

Shakib provided with armed bodyguard

Star Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has been forced to make a public apology after receiving Islamist threats for attending a Hindu ceremony in neighbouring India. The leading all-rounder is the latest target of increasingly vocal Islamists who have also staged huge anti-France rallies in recent weeks over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.Shakib, who has recently completed a year&#39;s ban for failing to report corrupt approaches, set off a social media storm in the Muslim-majority country after attending a ceremony in Kolkata dedicated to a Hindu goddess. Islamic preachers in Bangladesh say people should not attend the ceremonies of other faiths.&quot;I was on the stage for barely two minutes. People are talking about this and thought I inaugurated it,&quot; Shakib told an online forum late Monday.&quot;I did not do this and being a conscious Muslim I would not do this. But, maybe, I should not have gone there. I am sorry for this and apologise,&quot; he said.&quot;As a practising Muslim I always try to follow religious customs. Please forgive me if I have done anything wrong,&quot; he added.Shakib spoke hours after a man made personal threats against him on a Facebook live forum, accusing him of &quot;hurting religious sentiment&quot;. The man later apologised and went into hiding, but he was arrested in the northeastern district of Sunamganj on Tuesday.Shakib, currently the International Cricket Council&#39;s top-ranked all-rounder in one-day internationals, was found in October 2019 to have breached the ICC anti-corruption code and was banned for two years, with one year suspended.In 2015, he became the first cricketer to hold the ICC&#39;s top all-rounder ranking in the game&#39;s three formats -- Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 internationals.Man who threatened Shakib arrestedBangladesh police on Tuesday arrested a man who allegedly issued death threats to cricket all-rounder Shakib for inaugurating a Kali puja pandal in Kolkata, even as the cricketer issued an apology and said he only joined the function briefly. A joint team of the elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police arrested 28-year-old Mohsin Talukdar from southeastern Sunamganj district after 24 hours of a massive manhunt.&quot;He is now in our custody awaiting subsequent legal procedures,&quot; a police officer familiar with the development told PTIThe 33-year-old cricketer in a post on Facebook denied inaugurating the puja pandal. He said it was inaugurated by Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim. &quot;Media, social media everywhere it was flooded that I went to Kolkata to inaugurate a puja ceremony which actually was not the reason behind my visit and I did not inaugurate puja.&quot;The puja was inaugurated by Firhad Hakim, mayor of Kolkata. In my invitation card it was clearly mentioned that I was not the chief guest for puja,&quot; he said in the post on Monday.

Islamic preachers in Bangladesh say people should not attend the ceremonies of other faiths.

Shakib apologises after being threatened for attending Hindu ceremony in India 

Former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar has tested positive for the dreaded COVID-19 and is currently in home quarantine, according to a report from Dhaka.Bashar, a current national selector, is the latest to get infected following positive test results of Test captain Mominul Haque and all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad earlier this week.&quot;I was really careful, but still I got infected,&quot; Bashar told Bangla Tribune.&quot;There&#39;s nothing we can do. The virus won&#39;t let go of anyone. I felt feverish from Monday, and then it got to 102 degrees. It continued into Tuesday, so I tested on Wednesday morning and received the result in the evening.&quot;The 48-year-old, who has played 50 Tests and 111 ODIs for his country, was a regular during training and matches at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in the last few months. He is hoping to recover ahead of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup later this month.Some of the other Bangladesh stars who have recovered from COVID-19 are Mashrafe Mortaza, Abu Jayed and Saif Hassan.

The former Bangladesh captain is currently a national selector

Qazi Habibul Bashar

Habibul Bashar tests positive for COVID-19

Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque has tested positive for COVID-19 and he is undergoing home isolation, according to a report. Haque&#39;s coronavirus positive result came close on the heels of another senior player Mahmudullah Riyad contracting the virus which forced him to miss the Pakistan Super League play-offs.Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury confirmed Haque&#39;s test result to local news website &#39;Sarabangla&#39;. &quot;Mominul is coronavirus positive with mild symptoms,&quot; Dr Chowdhury told the website.Haque, on his part, said that he had mild fever and got himself tested. &quot;I only came to know yesterday that I have tested positive for COVID-19. I had fever for the last two days. Even I am running temperature today. But otherwise, there aren&#39;t any other symptoms,&quot; Haque said.His participation in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup later this month is doubtful. Some of the other Bangladesh stars who have recovered from COVID-19 are Mashrafe Mortaza, Abu Jayed and Saif Hassan.

The Bangladesh Test captain said that he had mild fever and got himself tested

Mominul Haque

Mominul Haque tests positive for COVID-19

Full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and one-day international status, Bangladesh played its first Test match against India in 2000. The Asian minnows made their official international cricket debut at the 1979 ICC Trophy in England, where they had mixed results, leaving the tournament with 2 wins and 2 defeats. But it was only in the year 1986 that Bangladesh played its first ODI match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.
With cricket getting more popular among the Bangladeshi people, the game got a fillip when the team won the ICC Trophy in Malaysia in 1997. Also known as The Tigers, they qualified for the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time. Nobody really gave Bangladesh much attention at the tournament until a shock win over Pakistan in a group phase match made everyone sit up and take notice. Test status was granted to Bangladesh in June 2000. At the end of 2007, the side had played in 49 Tests, winning only once against a Zimbabwe team that was already weakened by the loss of several key players. There was criticism that the team's performance was under par and this led to repeated calls for them to lose their Test status.
Bangladesh co-hosted the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup along with India and Sri Lanka, but unfortunately, failed to qualify for the knock-out stage, thereby ending their World Cup campaign in disappointment. Since then, however, Bangladesh have been a force to reckon with especially at home and in the shorter format. They fared better in the 2015 World Cup which took place in Australia where they beat the English side and hence finished above them to enter the quarter-final stage. They were eventually beaten by the then reigning champions, India.
The Bangla Tigers kept growing after that. Even in the longest format of the game, they bagged wins over Australia, England and Sri Lanka in their own backyard. An even more impressive Champions Trophy in England followed in 2017 where the Asian minnows unexpectedly made it to the semis, finishing second in a group which included, Australia, England and New Zealand. However, their run there was once again ended by the Indian team.