Bangladesh batsman Shadman Islam has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the much-awaited Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka, which was originally scheduled to be held in 2020.'In his interview to Cricbuzz the batsman said, 'I am in isolation at the moment in the hotel and waiting for my third corona report to arrive and if that is negative I will be able to play,'' BCB made it mandatory for the Test probables to take part in the NCL in order to prepare for the two match series against Sri Lanka, scheduled from April 21.
BCB failed to stage the NCL last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic but after hosting two domestic tournaments successfully - BCB President's Cup and Bangabandhu T20 - the board has decided to kickstart this edition of the competition from March 22.The left-handed opener missed the second Test against West Indies due to a groin injury and was looking forward to make the most out of the NCL, where he features for Dhaka Metro. Bangladesh were initially scheduled to play three Tests in Sri Lanka in July 2020, which was subsequently cancelled due to the pandemic. The tour was rescheduled with the first Test to be played from October 24, but BCB thereon asked SLC to reschedule the tour again as they were not willing to comply with the 14-day quarantine then mandated by the home board. Bangladesh will now arrive in Sri Lanka on April 12 to play the two Tests, which will be a part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle. Both the matches will be played at the Pallekele International Stadium.
