New TV deal also in talks
A decision on the Tigers’ proposed tour to Ireland in late July will be up for discussion, apart from the new TV deal, when the Bangladesh Cricket Board directors hold a meeting today at its headquarters in Mirpur.
The board has been sent a schedule by Cricket Ireland (CI) in which they have a total of five ODIs and a warm-up game during the two-week trip to Ireland and Scotland. But the BCB have delayed confirmation pending a board meeting, and since it will be held today, a decision on the matter is expected.
On Tuesday however, Setanta Sports reported that the cricket authorities in Ireland gave their Bangladesh counterparts until the end of the week to confirm the tour.
The delay has left CI behind schedule in their preparations, and prompted CI chief executive Warren Deutrom to give the BCB the ultimatum as it has been a week since they expected a positive reply.
“We have told them that we must have this sorted this week,” Cricket Ireland high performance director Richard Holdsworth told Setanta Sports.
“Warren has indicated that we want a message by return (of post).”
The original BCB request included a four-day game against the Irish, which CI reluctantly turned down on cost grounds, but Holdsworth thinks that Bangladesh may have delayed finalising the tour to lobby for a four-day game to be slotted in at the last minute.
“It is understandable, as they are coming a long way and want as much cricket as they can get. We would love to play them in a four-day game, but it does become cost prohibitive. We don’t want to miss this opportunity, but they have to understand our budget. We cannot afford to overspend on these things,” he said.
Meanwhile, the board directors will be asked to come up with suggestions to fine-tune the tender that will be floated for the new TV deal after the six-year contract with Nimbus ended on April 30.
According to sources, the issues which will be key in the new contract are going to be bank guarantee, allowable expenditure, material changes, level of production and the Decision Reviews System (DRS).
-With The Daily Star input
