The Bangladesh Cricket Board can rest assured that the ICC World Twenty20 will be held here as per schedule after showcasing the ICC inspection team its alternative venue at Fatullah on Monday, said the officials. Bangladesh will host the showpiece event from March 16-April 6 next year but doubts were recently expressed by ICC officials regarding the readiness of the venues.
Alternative venues were also mooted as a possibility after the five-member inspection team previously stated their reservation with the progress of the Sylhet Divisional Cricket Stadium and the Cox’s Bazar Stadium.
The Sylhet Stadium is scheduled to host some matches of the men’s category in the fifth edition of the global tournament while the Cox’s Bazar venue is slated to host all matches of the women’s category.
The BCB already presented BKSP as the alternative venue for the women’s event before taking the ICC delegates to Fatullah, which is being touted as an alternative venue to Sylhet, a city which has never hosted any international cricket.
‘I think we have satisfied the ICC officials with the alternate venue in BKSP and Fatullah that I consider to be a major success,’ said BCB president Nazmul Hasan.
‘In the last meeting of the ICC, they suggested that the alternative venue needs to be taken out of Bangladesh as they were doubtful about the Sylhet and the Cox’s Bazar venue,’ said Nazmul.
‘After the ICC meeting, our major emphasis was to develop and upgrade Fatullah and BKSP as alternative venues of Syhet and Cox’s Bazar,’ said Nazmul.
‘Now they are convinced there is no need to look outside,’ he added.
The ICC delegation arrived on August 17 which includes event director Chris Tetley, stadium consultant Eugene Van Vuuren, event manager Dhiraj
Malhotra and chief curator Andy Atkinson.
They have already inspected the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, that is expected to host the major part of the matches, along with Sylhet, BKSP and Fatullah and will fly to Chittagong today for the last leg of the inspection that will be completed on August 21 in Cox’s Bazar.
-With New Age input
