I Can't Understand The Stringent Rules Australia Placed: Bangladesh Head Coach Russell Domingo Unhappy With Australia's Quarantine Requirements

Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo has expressed his disappointment with the strict Covid conditions demanded by Cricket Australia, asking what was the need of isolating players in the bio-secure zone at least ten days before the series.

Australia’s tour of Bangladesh landed in jeopardy last month due to an increase in Covid cases in the Asian country.

For the tour to go ahead, Cricket Australia demanded ten-day isolation for both teams prior to the series.

Since the Bangladesh team was in Zimbabwe and Australia in the Caribbean, it was decided that both sides will enter the bubble in Harare and Barbados from July 20, post which they will endure a bubble-to bubble transfer from both countries to Dhaka.

As a result, Mushfiqur Rahim, who was with his Covid infected parents during the limited-overs leg of the Zimbabwe tour, was unable to enter the bubble before the deadline experienced, as did Liton Das.

Both players will now be unavailable for the five-match T20I series in Dhaka.

BCB officials revealed last week that they had tried to persuade their Aussie counterparts to reduce the quarantine period but the latter did not budge from their stance.

“I can’t understand the stringent rules Australia placed. (It’s) very disappointing the way they went about it,” Russell Domingo said in the virtual press conference.

”But look, we want to play against the best team in the world and it’s an opportunity for other one or two younger players or fringe players to come and play and I am sure they are capable,” he said.

Domingo, however, said that Bangladesh has enough options in their squad to replace Mushfiqur.

“No Mushfiqur is surely a loss for us but we have got a big squad and some quality players to replace him,” he said.

The five-match T20I series will take place at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium on August 3,4,6,7 and 9 respectively.

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