The Bangladesh cricket team began a three-day long practice camp in Chittagong on Wednesday ahead of the World Cup 2011, which gets under way with the opening ceremony in Dhaka on February 17.
The training camp at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, however, raised quite a few eyebrows as the Bangladesh Cricket Board is scheduled to hand over the venue 15 days before the tournament kicks off.
A warm-up match between Bangladesh and Canada will be held at the venue on February 12, which means the deadline will already be over, though the BCB officials have a different view.
‘We are counting 15 days from March 11, when the first World Cup match will be held in Chittagong. So still we have got a chance to use the venue,’ said Jalal Yunus, chairman of the BCB’s media committee.
Meanwhile, the BCB officials at a press conference in Chittagong on Wednesday urged the fans to abide by the rules and regulations of the ICC to avoid any untoward incident.
‘In the past we noticed many people took their kids with them at the stadium. But this will not be acceptable in the World Cup matches. Only one person will be allowed to enter the ground with one ticket,’ said Dewan Shafiul Arefin, convener of the Local Organising Committee.
‘Jerseys or t-shirts with logos or advertisements other than those of the ICC’s global partners will also not be acceptable. All spectators will be checked thoroughly before entering into the stadium and contraband items, bags, video cameras and food items will not be permitted,’ he said adding that everything will be monitored by 58 close-circuit cameras.
