The pandemic came and marched on; as it lingered for more than a year the chance of domestic cricket taking place  last season withered with that.  Many cricketers, who are not part of the national team set-ups, were left helpless as they have no other source of income other than the one they get from playing in the domestic circuit.  Those cricketers found a flicker of hope when the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided to host the National Cricket League (NCL) last month. But the light went out as the NCL was put on hold after two rounds in the wake of a recent spike in Covid-19 deaths and cases. At least five cricketers, who played the first round of the event, tested positive for Covid-19. So, the board has stepped forward to limit the cricketers' movements off the field. Earlier, the BCB had decided to host the league in only two venues – Cox's Bazar and BKSP – instead of four. But the Cox's Bazar authority limited the movement of people in the area to stop the spread of the virus. Unable to manage venues, the board decided to halt the league for one week, which created fresh concerns among many cricketers, who have started thinking that the league might not resume. "The national team players will be able to survive for a year even if they do not get money from the board. They are established cricketers," Anamul Haque Bijoy, the opener who is out of the national team now, told the media on Saturday. Also read; Hapless Bangladesh still searching for answers in Test cricket "But those who are out of the national team set-ups or did not play for the national side yet will suffer a lot if there is no domestic cricket. Those are heavily reliant on cricketing activities at the lower tiers of the game – the first division, second division, third division or the academies— will suffer a lot," he added. There are at least 20 cricketers in every NCL team, and they also have a few members in the support staff. It means, at least 200 players and support staff take part in NCL. So, it is tough to manage a bio-secure bubble for so many people.  

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is planning a residential camp for the national team players who might be part of Bangladesh’s upcoming tour to Sri Lanka.