Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Cox’s Bazar stadium as the “Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium and Complex” yesterday at Ukhiya Cox’s Bazar, while Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan said that the stadium, which is scheduled to be inspected by the ICC on September 30, will need 15 more days of work beyond the deadline.
The construction of the stadium, which is located in the seaside resort town of Cox's Bazar, is being funded by the BCB. Once completed, it will be the first international standard cricket centre in Cox’s Bazar and will have a capacity of approximately 7,800.
Bangladesh are scheduled to host the T20 World Championship next year and the Cox’s Bazar stadium will host the women’s T20 World Cup at that time. BCB boss Nazmul Hasan who is confident to hand over the stadium to the ICC just on time, “We are scheduled to hand over the stadium to the ICC on September 30 and the way work is progressing, I think it will take another fifteen days from the deadline to finish the work. So we have asked for some additional time from the ICC and sent a letter. I hope it will be done on time,” said Nazmul.
While Nazmul was prioritizing the building of a temporary stadium for the World Cup over a permanent one at another site in Cox’s Bazar, he admitted that the under-construction work could easily be converted into a long-term venue for cricket.“With the type of infrastructure that is being built here, there is always a chance to build a permanent stadium here,” said Nazmul.
