Shawdesh Desk:

After completion of the managed isolation and quarantine in New Zealand, the Bangladesh team will be free to move around from Wednesday, a Bangladesh Cricket Board statement reads.

The Bangladesh team is now in New Zealand to play a three-match ODI and as many as T20Is against the blackcaps. The series will kick off on March 20 in Dunedin. Before travelling to Dunedin, the Tigers will have a five-day practice camp in Queenstown right after completing the strict quarantine period in the city of Christchurch.

In the first three days of the quarantine, all the members of the Bangladesh team were stuck in their own room in the hotel. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, the allrounder, had addressed the quarantine period as being in jail.

Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal, middle-order batsman Mohammad Mithun also expressed their disappointment about being stuck in a single room for days. They, however, accepted reality and said that it was important for all to stay safe and healthy.

They were allowed to come out for only 30 minutes each day after the first three days, and they were allowed to use the gym and start practice in small groups after the first week of quarantine.

On Tuesday, the Bangladesh team practised in small groups for the last time. They are now all set to leave the quarantine and start moving around as per their requirements. They now don’t need to maintain any extra health protocol other than using a mask or maintain a social distance.

“It’s like a big relief. The quarantine period finally came to the end,” Hasan Mahmud, the right-arm pacer of the Bangladesh team told over a video message. “Today was the last day in quarantine. We are looking forward to taking advantage of the remaining days before the series.”

The other pacer, Shoriful Islam, who is yet to get an international cap, is also happy as the quarantine ends. He said: “The first seven days were very tough. But in the next seven days, we got the chance to train for two hours each day. Now the quarantine came to the end. It’s a big relief.”

The ODIs of this series are part of the ongoing World Cup Super Cup. The top seven teams of this event will qualify for the World Cup 2023 along with the hosts India.

Bangladesh played three matches of the World Cup Super League against the West Indies recently and came up victorious in all of them.

The series will kick off on March 20 with an ODI at the University Oval, Dunedin. The remaining two ODIs will be played on March 23 and 26 at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch and Basin Reserve, Wellington respectively. The T20Is will be played on March 28, 30 and April 1 at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, Basin Reserve, Wellington and Eden Park, Auckland respectively.

After the New Zealand tour, Tigers will tour Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series which is a part of the World Test Championship. However, the schedule of the Sri Lanka tour is yet to be finalized.