ICC World T20 2014: Political violence may derail tournament says Bangladesh cricket

[Basil]

ICC World T20 2014: Political violence may derail tournament says Bangladesh cricket chief​

Violence casts a gloomy spell over World cup 2014 in Bangladesh © Getty Images (Representational Photo)​

Bangladesh’s cricket chief has said that next year’s Twenty20 World Cup is threatened by the country’s deadly political violence, and there may only be weeks to save the tournament.

The 16-team competition, due to take place between March 16 and April 6, should be the biggest sporting event ever staged by Bangladesh.

But the country has been gripped by violent protests in recent weeks, with opposition supporters insisting that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stand aside before elections due next month. More than 74 people have been killed since late October.

“If this situation prevails, then any big tournament or participation of any big country will be under threat,” Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan told reporters late Monday.

“This must end in January and preferably in

The political violence has affected almost every city, including the three host venues for the T20 tournament — the capital Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet.

A team of International Cricket Council (ICC) inspectors declared last week they were “happy” with security arrangements but said they would continue to monitor the situation.

However, the dangers posed to teams was underlined at the weekend when a small bomb exploded outside the West Indies’ Under-19 team’s hotel in the port city of Chittagong, prompting them to cut short their tour.

Bangladesh is also due to host a tour by Sri Lanka in January before then staging the Asia Cup, a 50-over tournament starting in February which also features India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“The quicker this political situation improves the better because the Sri Lanka tour is in January and then we have the Asia Cup. It needs to be resolved before that,” said Hassan, who is a ruling party lawmaker.

FICA, the umbrella body for players’ associations from around the cricketing world, said it was seeking advice from its independent security adviser on the threat level.

“We will continue to monitor the threat levels between now and the start of the tournament and will keep players informed as to the situation,” said FICA executive chairman Paul Marsh.

“As is always the case with security issues, we will ensure that the safety of our players is paramount in our decision-making. There is, however more than three months until the event starts and as such we do not need to be making any decisions at this time.”

A spokesman for Cricket Australia said the board would seek its own government’s advice on the security situation, but no decision on whether to go to Bangladesh would be made until much nearer the time.

Australia and the West Indies both refused to play in Sri Lanka during the 1996 50-over World Cup after a bomb went off in Colombo, killing 91 people, shortly before the tournament began.

New Zealand refused to play in Kenya during the 2003 World Cup, a few months after a deadly bomb attack in Mombasa.

Pakistan has not hosted any international matches since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team during a Test in Lahore in 2009.

 

[Basil]

PCB concerned about security in Bangladesh
​

The PCB has gathered information from Pakistan's foreign office as well as the ICC regarding the security situation in Bangladesh, with an eye on its team's participation in two multi-nation events due to take place in Bangladesh in the next three months.

In light of an ongoing diplomatic row between the governments of the two countries, there are concerns in Pakistan over their team's participation in the Asia Cup and the World T20 in Bangladesh. The issue concerns the trial of 1971 war criminals in Bangladesh, which is taking place after more than four decades since Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan.

"The ICC has written back saying the situation is being monitored," Najam Sethi, the head of the PCB's interim management committee, told ESPNcricinfo. "We have also been in touch with our foreign office and asked them for advice and updates on the situation in Bangladesh."

It is not known whether the ICC received the communication from the PCB. However, it is understood that the ICC had written to all to all 16 participants in the World T20, due to take place in March-April, to update them about the security situation in Bangladesh. The ICC's letter to all participants is an indication that the recent unrest in Bangladesh is a cause for worry.

The PCB had written to the foreign office in order to get updates from the Pakistan embassy in Dhaka. There has, however, been no communication between the PCB and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Asian Cricket Council, organisers of the Asia Cup.

BCB's acting chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo that the board had received "nothing in particular" from the ICC about the PCB's concern. "We are corresponding regularly with the ICC as tournament host of the World Twenty20 regarding many issues including security, which is a routine matter, but nothing specific has been discussed in the case of PCB or any other cricket board. I have also talked to the ACC CEO (Syed Ashraful Huq) this evening, and he hasn't informed me of any concern of the PCB."

It is expected that there should be a clearer picture of the situation in Bangladesh after the first week of January. Bangladesh is to host the Asia Cup from February 24 to March 7 and the WorldTwenty20 from March 16 to April 6.

 

[piinku1]

India may host 2014t20 world cup.

 

[Karthik]

But M.P elections are scheduled in india.