Pakistan U-19 team’s tour to Bangladesh, slated to start from April 17, has been called off due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh which has extended a nationwide lockdown in the country, according to a Dawn report.

 The Pakistan U-19 team was originally scheduled to fly out to Dhaka from Lahore on April 11 for the tour comprising one four-day and five 50-over matches. Earlier this week, Pakistan had named Qasim Akram as captain while a training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium for the said tour was on.

 “After the Bangladesh government announced a nationwide lockdown at the beginning of the month, the departure of the team was rescheduled for Saturday April 17,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a press statement.

“However, since the COVID-19 situation in Bangladesh has not improved, the lockdown has been further extended by the Bangladesh government, causing an indefinite postponement of Pakistan U-19’s tour.

 “Both cricket boards will now look for a new window for the tour when the situation improves in Bangladesh, details of which will be shared in due course.

 “Pakistan U-19’s ongoing training camp taking place at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore has now ended,” the PCB statement concluded.

The raging viral pandemic clamed 78 lives and affected 5819 people on Sunday in Bangladesh. Following the spike in infections, the government had announced a strict week-long lockdown starting from April 14.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the tour would have been the first Under-19 international series since the 2020 World Cup.

Bangladesh, the defending champions have now missed two Under-19 series, against Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Bangladesh's first-class competitions have already been postponed and the 2019-20 Dhaka Premier League, originally set to resume from May 6, is looking unlikely with an extended lockdown looming.