Bangladesh’s Ireland tour postponed due to coronavirus

Bangladesh and Ireland have jointly decided to postpone the Tigers' upcoming series against Ireland in Ireland and England.

Cricket Ireland announced the decision in a media statement on Saturday, reports UNB.

“Once the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic was understood, and the advice of both governments and partner boards was sought, it became increasingly unlikely that this series could proceed as scheduled. We have a responsibility to protect the wellbeing of players, coaches, fans and the wider community, and will not hesitate to take a safety-first approach to our operations over coming months,” Cricket Ireland Chief Executive Warren Deutrom was quoted as saying in the release.

Seven matches, three ODIs and four T20 Internationals, were scheduled to be played between the two sides. Cricket Ireland hopes the series might take place in future after the world gets rid of coronavirus.

“We will continue monitoring the situation and will liaise as necessary with relevant sports bodies, public health agencies and our stakeholders here and abroad, and provide further updates on the home season in due course,” Deutrom said.

BCB had to previously stop the two-match T20I series between Asia XI and World XI which was scheduled to take place on March 21 and 22 to celebrate the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation.

Bangladesh also postponed Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League- a List-A cricket event which is the country’s most prestigious domestic cricket competition.

Not just in Bangladesh, coronavirus has forced authorities to suspend sporting events around the world to prevent the spread of the virus.

Coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of 11,398 people as of Saturday. It has so far infected 275,871 people around the world, according to Worldometer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) already declared it as a pandemic and advised the world to take aggressive steps to stop the spread of the virus.