Although the ICC (International Cricket Council) has not insisted on an opening ceremony for the World Twenty20, the Bangladesh Cricket Board have planned a mini opening ceremony for the world event. The ceremony will not be as huge the one for the ICC World Cup 2011 – which won praise the world over – but it will take place.
To mark event, the BCB has planned to arrange a concert with the probable venue being the Bangabandhu National Stadium. The BCB has already asked the National Sports Council (NSC) ask for the stadium for four days – March 11-14 – from the Bangladesh Football Federation. The football governing body of the country had initially refused to give away field as it jeopardizes their own prospects.
However according to the chairman of the BCB grounds committee Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan informed Dhaka Tribune that the BFF never said no according to the NSC.
“They (NSC) have asked us (BCB) for a fee. If it was a no then why will they ask us for a fee,” informed Lokman. It was learnt sources that the fee is likely to be in between Taka 2 to 3 million.
Besides arranging the venue, the BCB will have to work on the financials to meet up the expenses of the concert. It is norm for ICC to cooperate with the hosts in the putting up the event but here the BCB will be all alone. If the BCB plans to make the captains of the participating teams appear at the concert – a job done mainly by the ICC – they will have to work it out themselves.
“There are many things to do for which we might give the job to an event management firm,” said Lokman. “It will bare huge expense to run the show. We are expecting good numbers of sponsors to show up,” said the BCB director.
The board also plans to air the program live on television however they are yet to confirm if it will be the official broadcasters of the event, Star Network or some other satellite channel. At this point, with only 30 days left for the curtain to raise for the event – the BCB will have to race against time to make its wish a reality.