Bangladesh Cricket Board Seeks Security Assurances from Army Chief for Women’s T20 World Cup

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is clinging to a glimmer of hope for hosting the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, despite the recent violent protests and the imposition of an emergency by the country’s interim government. The BCB has reached out to the Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, seeking security assurances for the tournament, which is slated to begin with warm-up games on September 27.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh and is considering alternative venues should the tournament need to be relocated. Countries like India, the UAE, and Sri Lanka, which share a similar time zone with Bangladesh, are being considered as potential hosts.

On Thursday, August 8, a new interim government led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus was appointed to oversee the country’s affairs until fresh elections can be conducted. This shift in power came after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left the country, leading to the departure of several BCB directors, including President Nazmul Hassan, who were aligned with Hasina’s Awami League party.

Despite these challenges, some BCB directors remain in Dhaka and are determined to keep the tournament on home soil. Iftekhar Ahmed Mithu, the chairman of BCB’s Umpire Committee, expressed the board’s intent to proceed with the event. “We are trying to host the tournament,” Mithu told Cricbuzz. “To be honest, there are not too many among us present in the country, but on Thursday, we sent a letter to the Army Chief seeking assurance about the security of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup as we have only two months in hand.”

Mithu further elaborated on the ongoing communication with the ICC, saying, “The ICC communicated with us two days back, and we replied that we will get back to them shortly. Today, after the interim government was formed, we still need to provide them [the ICC] with security assurances, which can only be given by a law enforcement agency. We sent the letter today, and after receiving written assurance from the Army, we will inform the ICC.”

The Women’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to feature ten teams playing 23 matches over 18 days at two venues in Bangladesh—the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka and the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet—from October 3 to 20.

The ICC is expected to make a final decision on the tournament’s venue by August 10, after assessing the situation in Bangladesh. The cricketing world now watches closely as the fate of the tournament hangs in the balance amidst the ongoing political instability.

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