The Bangladesh Cricket Board has decided to defer its plans to celebrate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, due to rising concerns over Covid-19 in the country.
The BCB’s plans included hosting a concert featuring famous musician AR Rahman next week, followed by two T20 matches between Asia XI and World XI on March 20 and 21, respectively.
All the events were scheduled to be held at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka but BCB president Nazmul Hasan has now confirmed that the programs will be deferred for the time being.
“The thing is, we had two options in hand. We were supposed to hold a concert on the 18th. We initially had plans to do it on a small scale. But we have decided to do it in a grand manner. That’s why we have decided to defer it for the moment, and not do it on a small scale. It will not take place on the 18th. When the situation improves, we will hold it in a grand fashion,” said Nazmul to the media on Wednesday at the BCB premises.
#BCB’s #Bangabandhu birth centenary plans in jeopardy https://t.co/nuSA4otdxN
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“We are also facing problems organizing the matches on the 21st and the 22nd. There is no doubt about the players coming over here and playing. But for the moment, we have deferred the two events (concert and T20 matches). We will assess the scenario in the next couple of months and organize the events. So the events are postponed for the time being,” he added.
BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said: “The decision to postpone the events was based on the general cautionary advice for the public from the government and international health agencies. We regret the inconvenience but at the same time hope that everyone concerned will understand our position as this is a major health issue across the globe and we cannot leave anything to chance.”
Fifa and Asian Football Confederation have already postponed Bangladesh’s joint World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers, scheduled to be held this month and June.
Three people tested positive for coronavirus in Bangladesh on Sunday, with two of them having recently returned from Italy.
Monday, another two people were quarantined at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital on suspicion of being infected with the virus.