Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman set to serve 14-day quarantine on arrival at home

Bangladesh cricketers Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman will most likely serve a 14-day quarantine when they arrive home from India. Shakib was in India for the IPL 2021, where he was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) camp. Pacer Mustafizur played for Rajasthan Royals (RR). People travelling to Bangladesh from India and South Africa are mandated to serve a 14-day quarantine period upon arrival, according to the new advisory from the country’s health ministry.

BCB Chief Nizamuddin Chowdhury added that the board have asked the two players about their plans. He said a conversation with the health ministry has also been initiated to know about the quarantine period Shakib and Mustafizur will have to serve.

The statements from the BCB chief comes days after Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman were included in Bangladesh’s preliminary squad for the ODIs against Sri Lanka which is likely to begin from May 23.

Mandatory hotel quarantine

Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman will have to be in a 14-day institutional quarantine, in a hotel, on their return.

In order to have some relaxation for its players, BCB will have to get special permission from the Directorate General of Health Services of Bangladesh (DGHS). 

ABM Khurshid Alam, director general of health services, said on Tuesday no exception will be made for the members of the national team who were supposed to play the One-Day International home series against Sri Lanka from May 23.

The DGHS said the rules cannot be relaxed for arrivals from India, which is facing a devastating second wave of COVID-19 possibly fuelled by a variant of the coronavirus first detected in the country.

“We have the cabinet’s orders. If someone leaves (the quarantine centre), they will bear the responsibility for that. We’ve talked to the law-enforcing agencies as well. We will inform them about the matter,” Alam said.

BCB is also sweating over the quarantine protocols for their South Africa-bound head coach Russell Domingo and fielding coach Ryan Cook.

The pair is expected to go to South Africa from Sri Lanka before they come back to Bangladesh for the ODI series.