The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) ad-hoc president Nazmul Hasan is content to build a temporary stadium at the site where a golf course used to be in Cox’s Bazar as work has already progressed to meet the standard necessary to host matches in the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup in 2014. The land had been allocated to the BCB for the purpose but it was later revealed that another group had claims the land and planned to build a five-star hotel there. Instead of shifting venues and seeing the work that had gone into the stadium go to waste, the BCB decided to build a temporary stadium for the ICC event.
“We were informed that some other group had different plans for that land so they proposed we build the stadium some other place. I think trying to solve this issue at the moment will delay the work and we will miss the ICC deadline. We will look into this issue later,” Nazmul told the media yesterday.
“I haven’t had any meetings on the issue recently but was informed that even the local people want a stadium at that place and they are saying that there is no need to shift the location. They are demanding a permanent stadium there, not a temporary one.
“Now if the Government thinks that it should be moved and if they can show us a satisfactory location, then we might reconsider but to be honest, it’s tough to comment on this,” he added.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who will be touring the Cox’s Bazar region today and is scheduled to officially inaugurate and name the venue. The new cricket venue will be called the “Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium and Complex”.
“They (the other party with the hotel plan) will have a meeting with the prime minister on the issue tomorrow (today). We will not be involved in this as we are looking forward to finishing the work-in-progress in time to host the Women’s World Twenty20. Being able to complete it on time and the ICC approving the stadium will allow us to host the event there,” explained Nazmul.
The BCB is also developing another venue for the men’s ICC Twenty20 World Cup, which will also be held in 2014. The Sylhet Divisional Stadium is currently being renovated in order to meet ICC’s guideline standards.
Earlier, doubts had been raised as to whether the venue would pass a September 30 inspection and it was reported that in that event, India would be brought in to co-host the event. The BCB boss, however, dismissed the possibility of having to share the event with another nation.
“I have always said that we are tense about these two venues – Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar. The NSC (National Sports Council) delayed starting the work. The work at Sylhet started very late while no initiative was taken for Cox’s Bazar. It was the BCB who took care of the situation in Cox’s Bazar, with a target to get an international standard venue ready for the event.
“We are also worried and doubtful of being able to meet the deadline and so are they (ICC). It was in the ICC meeting that proposal was made to find alternative venues in another country but I said we do not need that. We have the Fatullah Stadium and the field at BKSP as alternative venues and they (ICC) are also happy with the condition of these two venues. So there is no need to look for alternative venues in another country,” he clarified.
