COVID stops play mid-game for Irish team in Bangladesh

DHAKA, AFP: It was a case of COVID that stopped play yesterday as a cricket match in Bangladesh involving a visiting Irish team was abandoned part-way through after one of the tourists tested positive.

Players from the Bangladesh Emerging Team and Ireland Wolves were tested on Thursday but a delay meant that the results didn’t arrive until after the match in Chittagong had begun.

When they arrived, umpires were informed that Irish all-rounder Ruhan Pretorius – who had already bowled four overs and picked up a wicket – had tested positive. “We isolated the player immediately and stopped the game. We had no other choice as part of our COVID-19 protocol for the series,” Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Nizamuddin Chowdhury told AFP.

The Ireland Wolves arrived in Bangladesh on a month-long tour on 18 February to play a four-day match, five one-day matches and two T20 matches.