The Bangladesh Cricket Board is looking for damage control after a small bomb exploded outside Hotel Agrabad in Chittagong on Sunday creating panic among the visiting West Indies Under-19 team. Bangladesh are scheduled to host two major cricket tournaments next year – the Asia Cup in February-March and the ICC World Twenty20 in March-April – and the blast right outside the hotel where the West Indian cricketers are staying, has put the events under the scanner.
Quite a few eyebrows were raised when the cocktail went off amid a 72-hour strike called by the local opposition party that has slightly put in doubt Bangladesh’s right as the hosts for the two events.
The West Indian U-19 team, who are here for seven youth one-day internationals against their Bangladeshi counterparts, were shaken by the blast that has forced the postponement of the second match of the series.
The second one-dayer, originally slated for Sunday, will now take place today.
Nizamuddin Chowdhury, chief executive officer of the BCB, though termed it as an isolated incident and expressed his hope that cricket will move along its own course.
‘Bangladesh cricket is not unsafe,’ Nizamuddin told reporters on Sunday. ‘It is a stray incident, so we are not worried.
‘I don’t think that there will be any implications of this incident in the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20. At the same time we have assured the West Indies team about their security after they raised their concern.
‘We have always had zero-tolerance on security purposes and we are trying to guarantee them an environment without security fears,’ he said.
Although the BCB termed the incident as an isolated one, former captain Aminul Islam believes that it can cost them dearly if a similar incident occurred during the ongoing series.
‘This can be raised as an issue,’ Aminul told New Age on Sunday.
‘I would like to believe that it was accidental but if it is repeated we might have to pay heavily as that will expose our incapability to provide security to any international side irrespective of their age group status,’ said Aminul, who is currently working with the Asian Cricket Council.
Several sources close to the BCB observed that India have already shown an interest in being the alternative hosts of the ICC World T20 while they were backed by Sri Lanka, who have also expressed their intention of hosting matches of the event.
Influential Indian Bengali daily Anandabazar on Friday reported that India are ready to host the ICC World Twenty20 at a shortest notice as there is little evidence that Bangladesh’s volatile political situation will calm down anytime soon.
The law and order situation of the country started deteriorating since October as the major opposition parties’ refusal to participate in the upcoming general elections has resulted in an increased number of deaths throughout Bangladesh.
Bangladesh hardly faced any security issues unlike the other South Asian neighbours except one small incident during the World Cup 2011 when the West Indies team bus was stoned in the wake of a disappointing batting performance of the home side.
Khandoker Jamiluddin, a former BCB director, on Sunday told reporters that the BCB should now mke an all out effort to complete the seven-match series without further incident.
‘We must complete the series now without further incident,’ Jamil told New Age. ‘Only then we would be able to say this was an isolated incident. A repeat of this will make Bangladesh pay dearly.’
-With New Age input
