Players should be tested before sport can resume: Mithun

Bangladesh batsman Mohammad Mithun said that much like the initiatives taken in major European football leagues and also in the international cricket arena, players in the country should be tested for coronavirus before sporting activity can resume.

Mithun remained positive about the resumption of domestic cricket, especially the Dhaka Premier League (DPL), which was halted after the completion of just one round due to the coronavirus pandemic in March. However, the right-hander, who also backed the idea of playing behind closed doors, said that cricket should only resume after taking proper precautions. He also supported testing players and staff for coronavirus before resumption.

"Obviously it [testing players and staff for coronavirus] should be done. I think it is very important and I support this 100 per cent. Because otherwise you can never know if someone is carrying the virus. Even I might be a carrier. Now, if I test positive for the virus, I would not want other players who I will be playing with to be infected. If I am positive, then I will recover and come back to play. So I would never want my team to suffer for me or any individual," Mithun told The Daily Star today.

A majority of the halted European football leagues are now planning to resume under strict testing regime and by ensuring other protective measures. The English Premier League players are set to be subjected to a strict testing regime as they are instructed to be tested twice weekly and will have to answer a daily pre-training questionnaire and submit to a temperature check.