Bangladesh cricketers Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan have landed in their home country after IPL 2021 was suspended owing to the covid-19 pandemic. The duo will now undergo a mandatory quarantine period of 14 days, with special restrictions put in place by Bangladesh Health Ministry for people travelling from India and South Africa.
The two players will also be available for selection against Sri Lanka. On Thursday, Mustafizur Rahman took to Twitter to announce their arrival in Bangladesh. The left-arm pacer did a fine job during the IPL 2021 season, picking up eight wickets in his seven matches. Rajasthan Royals were missing their key bowler, Jofra Archer, who was still recovering from hand surgery.
Shakib Al Hasan featured for Kolkata Knight Riders, playing three matches. The Bangladeshi all-rounder could score just 38 runs in his three outings and pick up two wickets. Mustafizur Rahman thanked Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals for their support which helped the duo reach their home country.
The two players will be joining their national squads for the home series against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh will host Sri Lanka for a three-match ODI series, which will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. The Bangladesh Cricket Board were seeking a reduced quarantine period for the duo. However, with the suspension of IPL 2021, they will now have to serve out their entire quarantine period.
In Bangladesh’s recent tour of Sri Lanka, the visitors were beaten by a score-line of 1-0 in the Test series. Bangladesh were beaten by 209 runs in the second Test match after the first Test ended in a draw.
