The BCB has written to the Army Chief requesting security assurance for the conduct of the World Cup
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) remains cautiously optimistic about hosting the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, despite recent violent protests that have led to the imposition of a state of emergency by the country’s interim government.
On Thursday, the board reached out to Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, requesting security assurances for the tournament, which is scheduled to commence on September 27 with the warm-up matches.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh and is considering alternative host countries should the tournament need to be relocated.
In the event of a move, the ICC is likely to choose a country within a similar time zone to Bangladesh, with India, the UAE, and Sri Lanka emerging as potential options.
On August 8, an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus was appointed to manage the country’s affairs until new elections are held.
In the wake of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure from Bangladesh, several BCB directors, including President Nazmul Hassan, were compelled to leave the country due to their affiliation with Hasina’s party, the Awami League.
However, some BCB directors remain in Dhaka and continue to hold out hope for hosting the prestigious event.
“We are trying to host the tournament,” Iftekhar Ahmed Mithu, BCB’s Umpire Committee chairman, told Cricpulse.
“To be honest, not many of us are currently in the country, and on Thursday, we sent a letter to the Army Chief seeking assurance regarding the security of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup as we only have two months left,” Mithu said.
“ICC communicated with us two days ago, and we responded that we would get back to them shortly.
Now that the [interim] government is in place, we still need to provide security assurances, which can only be given by a law enforcement agency, not the board or any individual.
So, we sent the letter today, and once we receive written assurance from the Army, we will inform the ICC,” he added.
The World Cup is set to feature ten teams playing 23 matches over 18 days at two venues in Bangladesh—the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka and the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet—from October 3 to 20.
It is understood that the ICC will make a decision on the tournament’s venue by August 10, after assessing the situation on the ground in Bangladesh.
Leave a Reply