BCB chief hopeful of England visit to go ahead as scheduled
Apr 6, 2019 at 2:17 PM
Bangladesh Cricket Board(BCB) president Nazmul Hasan is hopeful that his country’s security scenario will improve and that England’s tour will not be postponed.
England’s tour to Bangladesh is in serious doubt after the terrorist attack in Dhaka on Friday night (July 1) that led to 20 people being killed by Islamist militants.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has said it will take advice from the appropriate authorities before giving the nod to the tour. England are scheduled to play two of their three one-day internationals, as well as the second of their two scheduled Test matches, in Dhaka.
Justifying England’s concerns, the BCB president cited the example of the Euro 2016 football tournament being held in France seven months after the Paris terrorist attacks.
“It is a very unfortunate incident for Bangladesh,” Hassan said. “We never imagined such a thing could happen in this country. I don’t know how to describe my feelings in words. I have seen England’s reaction, which is quite normal. We would have done the same thing if we were in their position.
“[But] you would have noticed that after the Paris attacks, the game didn’t stop. The sport will go at its pace. England are coming after three months, by which time the situation in Bangladesh will get better. It is hard to say which place is safe now. Safety can be an issue in England after three months. We will strengthen our security. If we can ensure that, cricket should not be a problem.”
This is not the first time a country has expressed its concern over the security issues in Bangladesh. There were security concerns during this year’s U-19 World Cup which was hosted by Bangladesh.While England took part in the tournament, Australia opted to withdraw their Under-19 team having postponed the senior side’s tour to the country the previous year.
England’s tour of Bangladesh is scheduled to start on September 30.