A file phot of BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury and president Nazmul Hassan. Chowdhury says the BCB will consult various authorities before taking a call on the Sri Lanka tour
The Bangladesh Cricket Board is monitoring the security situation in Sri Lanka, where the national side is scheduled to tour after the World Cup. According to Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the BCB’s chief executive, the board will take advice from various authorities, including Sri Lanka Cricket, before taking a decision.
The tour is of three ODIs, likely to be held on July 25, 27 and 29, after the dates were brought forward from December, which is when the BCB plans to conduct the Bangladesh Premier League. However, following last month’s serial blasts in the island nation, which left over 300 people dead and many more injured, touring teams have been wary. A Pakistan Under-19 tour of the country was “indefinitely postponed”, and the BCB is being cautious.
“We are concerned about the scenario,” Chowdhury said. “We will take advice from our foreign ministry and the Bangladesh High Commission in Sri Lanka. We are also likely to hold talks with the SLC during the Asian Cricket Council meeting later this month.”
In March, Bangladesh’s tour of New Zealand was called off immediately after a terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques. Most members of the touring party were nearly caught in the crosshairs after they arrived at the Al Noor Mosque, the site of one of the attacks, just minutes after the shooter had left the scene.
Since the New Zealand incident, the BCB’s security team has been monitoring the security situation in whichever country representative teams are travelling, with BCB president Nazmul Hassan saying that the security team will properly vet every Bangladesh tour to try and avoid a repeat of the Christchurch situation.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo