Bangladesh will face a hard time in the upcoming ICC annual general meeting not only because of match-fixing and governance issues, but also for its lack of preparations for the ICC World Twenty20 next year, a top official said on Friday.
The ICC meeting, scheduled in London from June 26-29, will discuss an alternative hosts for the event as Bangladesh are lagging behind in its preparation of venue, said BCB president Nazmul Hasan.
‘The meeting is important for two reasons – alternative venue and ACSU report,’ Nazmul said at Mirpur.
‘The consultant to the ruling body of world cricket was not happy with the preparation for the ICC World Twenty20. So they had kept the alternative venue on the agenda.
‘We must convince them that there is no need for an alternative venue and we can run the show with the available resources,’ he said.
Nazmul’s concern is mainly about two venues – Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar – which the BCB has to make ready at least six months before the tournament in March-April, 2014.
Bangladesh has planned to host the men’s matches in three venues at Mirpur, Chittagong and Sylhet while Cox’s Bazar is set to host the women’s matches. Fatullah stadium in Narayanganj was earmarked as an alternative venue.
According to BCB’s estimate, there will be 39 matches in men’s tournament and 15 games in women’s tournament. Officials said they will need more than half a dozen venues for matches and practice to host such a high-profile event.
The BCB president said Sylhet stadium is the major challenge as they have to ready it by October, though the National Sports Council is yet to start any work at the venue.
‘How can we expect to finish that in the next six months where no work had been done in the last six months?,’ asked an exasperated Nazmul.
‘I sat with both the finance and sports ministers and they agreed to provide all sorts of support for allocation of budget required to complete the work and that is the only hope,’ he added.
-With New Age input
