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The National Sports Council, who owns and maintains all sporting venues across the country, including Fatullah, has been criticised for its lack of initiatives in dealing with the problem. Ahead of the practice match, the BCB is trying to clear the water surrounding the wickets by the use of machine pumps. But seasonal rain is pouring persistently and thus the stadium is highly unlikely to be ready before the scheduled time.
“We are still trying to get Fatullah ready. We are using pumps to drain out the water. Fatullah was set as the venue for the practice match almost a year ago, when we had done the tour MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Cricket Australia. As rain falls every day, the situation is becoming more delicate,” Jalal told the media in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.“The possibility [of holding the match in Fatullah] is decreasing, so we are now are thinking of alternative venues like the BKSP. An Australian delegation team will arrive on Tuesday. We will discuss with them regarding alternative venues for the practice match. “We will hold talks with CA’s security team about the venue, whether we can have it somewhere other than Fatullah. If we can shorten the travel time to BKSP, maybe there can be a solution. Sylhet is also an option but we have to see how viable it can be. Going for a practice match in Sylhet and then coming back to Dhaka for the first Test match could be the main point of negotiation with the CA security team if we chose Sylhet as the practice match venue,” he said.
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The Mirpur stadium hasn’t hosted any cricket for almost nine months now. Renovation programme was carried out during this long break, including the installation of new grass across the field and the preparation of pitch, among other things. The BCB informed that despite a long break, the Mirpur stadium is in absolutely fine condition and ready to host the first Test against Australia, beginning August 27. “We are not at all concerned about Mirpur stadium. There is enough time to prepare the Mirpur venue for the August 27 first Test. The wicket is similar to what was used before, so we are not really worried about it,” Jalal concluded.
