Asia XI vs World XI T20I series likely to be canceled because of Coronavirus scare

Bangladesh was all prepared to celebrate the centenary of its founding father Mujibur Rahman but the confirmation of the first Coronavirus case in the country on Sunday has ruined its plans. The country’s cricket board — Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) — was all set to hold two T20 matches between Asia XI and World XI in Dhaka later this month to commemorate Bangabandhu Mujib’s birth centenary but now, they are likely to be canceled owing to the virus scare.

According to a report in Bangladesh’s cricfrenzy.com, the BCB is set to scrap the two international games — the teams for which had also been picked. The BCB has also contacted the participating players to know their respective stands on the matter and according to the report, their participation looks doubtful.

“Yes it is doubtful (the match between Asia XI and World XI) though nothing is confirmed,’’ said a BCB official as quoted by Cricfrenzy. Indian stars like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami were set to play in the series.

The Bangladesh government discouraged public gathering

With the games looking uncertain, the Bangladesh board has also decided not to sell too many tickets for the series. “We have decided to sell only one ticket to one person during the two T20s against Zimbabwe,’’ said the official.

“The government have directed to discourage public gathering and following that we have taken this initiative,’’ he said.

Bangladesh are currently playing Zimbabwe in a two-match T20I series. They won the Test series 1-0 and ODI series 3-0. In Bangladesh, at least three persons have been tested positive with the novel coronavirus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the country has also been canceled in the wake of the outbreak.

Cancellation of the two high-profile games will be a real disappointment for the Bangladesh board and the country’s fans since they were eagerly waiting for the occasion for a long time. Kohli’s participation remained a high-profile issue given the fact that his workload is a sensitive issue for the Indian board. Kohli will be playing a three-game ODI series against South Africa next following which he will be busy playing the Indian Premier League.

No player from Pakistan was picked for the two matches in Dhaka as they are busy playing in the Pakistan Super League now.