Bangladesh’s bid to host the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup is facing a daunting challenge, with the country’s government scrambling to salvage the situation amidst travel restrictions and a political crisis.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has informed participating boards that it is still monitoring the situation and will consider all options, including moving the tournament elsewhere.
The Bangladesh government has announced plans to approach the United Nations to lift travel restrictions imposed by several countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, India, and New Zealand.
These restrictions have been deemed the biggest hurdle to hosting the tournament by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). However, cricket boards have little influence over these decisions, which can only be lifted by the respective governments.
The uncertainty surrounding the World Cup comes at a time when the BCB is reeling from a major crisis. The president of the board, Nazmul Hassan, has gone missing since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, while several directors with direct or indirect political connections are untraceable.
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Asif Mahmud, the youth and sports adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, has emphasized the need for a solution within the ICC’s legal framework. Mahmud has suggested that an interim body could be established to run the BCB, but acknowledged the board’s need for autonomy in decision-making.
The crisis has also sparked calls for reform within the BCB. Former BCB general secretary Syed Ashraful Huq, who played a crucial role in securing ICC Full Membership for Bangladesh in 2000, has criticized the board’s functioning.
“We gained Full Membership in 2000 but apart from some infrastructural development, we haven’t seen much improvement in our performance in the last 24 years,” Huq said. “BCB officials don’t lack in experience, but their failure is quite disappointing.”
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The BCB is facing a significant challenge in maintaining its autonomy while undergoing a period of transition. The board’s lack of planning and failure to deliver on its plans have been highlighted by Huq. “We lack in planning,” Huq said. “Even when we have a plan, nobody has delivered on it.”
With just weeks to go before the tournament is scheduled to begin, Bangladesh’s cricket authorities are under intense pressure to find a solution to these challenges. The country’s hopes of hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup hang in the balance, with its reputation as a cricket-loving nation at stake.