Bangladesh cricket team. (Photo Source: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
Newly-designated Youth and Sports advisor of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, linked up with various stakeholders at the headquarters of the BCB in Dhaka on Monday afternoon, which included former skipper Tamim Iqbal as well.
CEO of the BCB Nizamuddin Chowdhury mentioned that Bhuiyan had some ideas in his mind on seeing the current amenities at the headquarters.
“Our Youth and Sports adviser has visited our office today. He saw the board facilities in-person. From what I understood, he has some plans as well. He might also visit the other federations in the coming days,” Chowdhury was quoted by The Daily Star.
Amongst the group of people present at the headquarters, former Bangladeshi skipper Tamim was present as well. Although Chowdhury saw both of them engaging in dialogue, he didn’t have any information regarding the topics they spoke on.
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“I can say that there was no specific discussion with anyone. The advisor spoke with several people in the BCB who shared their experiences. I don’t know in what capacity he [Tamim] came here. The advisor was here and he spoke with him. I saw him with the adviser, apart from that, I don’t know anything about it,” mentioned Nizamuddin.
Travel restriction is now the main challenge: Nizamuddin
Nizamuddin also provided information on the hot cake, i.e., the hosting of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in October, the conduction of which is in jeopardy ever since political turmoil in Bangladesh, with protests being rife amid every nook and corner of the country. However, Nizamuddin expressed confidence in the preparation and track record of Bangladesh in hosting global events.
“The kind of preparation we have, we are extremely confident that we will be able to organise the Women’s T20 World Cup in due time. The government is also very proactive and they have called us about the matter on their first day at office. The Bangladesh Army has also ensured us full support and cooperation about the matter later on. We have informed the matter to the International Cricket Council officials and they are happy with our preparation and everything,” noted Nizamuddin.
He also communicated that the government has taken full onus of the matter, with the main bottleneck being restrictions in travel. For this challenge, however, Nizamuddin confirmed that a special online session with the ICC will be conducted to gather further clarity.
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“The government has taken the matter seriously. We have already communicated regarding the matter. There are some travel advisories about coming to Bangladesh from some countries. This matter can’t be solved by the BCB or ICC. So, the state is working on this matter. Travel restriction is now the main challenge There will be a virtual meeting with the ICC. The meeting will be attended by the existing members of the board,” Nizamuddin concluded.