CWI to send inspection team to Bangladesh

CRICKET West Indies will be sending a two-member inspection team, comprising board director Dr Akshai Mansingh (member of the CWI’s and ICC’s Medical Advisory Committee) and Paul Slowe, CWI’s security manager, to Bangladesh this week.

The pair will be conducting a detailed assessment ahead of the scheduled ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) tour of Bangladesh in January.

The West Indies are expected to play three Tests, three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and two T20 Internationals, with the Tests part of the World Test Championship.

Mansingh and Slowe will visit all the proposed facilities for the tour, in both Dhaka and Chattogram, attend matches in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup and also get a first-hand look at the country's covid19 response protocols.

Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI, said, “We would be the first international team to visit Bangladesh since the onset of the pandemic and, 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 (Bangladesh Cricket Board) bio-secure 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.”