Lankans bring their own bubble as rain spoils warm-up

The scenic and tranquil backdrop of the BKSP did not provide the much-needed time in the middle in Bangladeshi conditions that the Sri Lankans had sought on the first day of their two-day practice match against Bangladesh XI yesterday.

Incessant rain from the afternoon saw nearly the entirety of the first day's play called off, with only 38 minutes of play possible before rain hit. There were precursors ahead of the start of play at 10:00am, but when play started on time, there was hope in the Lankan camp in particular about a full day's play.

Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne had joined Asitha Fernando to open the innings and the visitors faced four overs each from Abu Jayed Rahi and Mukidul Islam Mugdho. Karunaratne did not get much of an opportunity to bat, falling to Mukidul after scoring two before rain hit after 8.3 overs with Sri Lanka at 14 for one. Another delivery was not bowled in the day.

While the umpires took an early lunch to counter the loss of time, the light drizzle soon gave way to heavy rain. Before play was called off, Karunaratne and Angelo Matthews headed to the indoor nets, batting batted against spin, in particular against left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who had been the destroyer-in-chief the last time Bangladesh played Sri Lanka in Tests.

While coach Mizanur Rahman rued the fact that the Bangladesh XI, consisting of some of the country's promising youngsters, did not get an opportunity to display their talents, selectors worried about weather leading up to the first Test in Chattogram.

However, the onus during the match will very much be on the Tigers’ struggling batter order, including the captain who made only 13 runs in four innings on the recent tour of South Africa. PHOTO: RAJIB RAIHAN

The weather will be a concern for the time being as Cyclone Asani, named in Sri Lanka, brews over the bay. Heavy rainfall is expected and could play spoilsport for day two of the practice match while showers may hinder the start of the Test in Chattogram as well.

Meanwhile, the disheartening situation back home for Sri Lanka has led to the visitors averting media attention since landing in Bangladesh. Upon requesting an interview, this reporter was told by coach Chris Silverwood that they 'didn't receive permission to talk to the media yet'.

Later, when the team manager was approached, he informed that they were likely to talk to the media after the first Test. The team management had contacted SLC higher-ups to get a status update on their media responsibilities but had received a 'no-go' signal, adding to the aura that the Lankans wanted a bubble around them. During their practice session at Mirpur a day before, media personnel were requested to stay away from practice facilities.

While many protocols were observed during the pandemic, the upcoming series will not be played in the environment of a bio-bubble. Seemingly, that did not apply to the Lankans as, despite testing negative for Covid-19, the side refrained from talking to journalists in close quarters. "We did test negative but we are in a bubble," a support staff said. Reminded there was no bio-bubble, the support staff replied: "That is for the Bangladesh side, but not us."

Despite shying away from media activities, team management sources informed that the players were in good spirits. That will come in handy, although the cricketers would have liked nothing more than to get some time in the middle.