BCB requests security guarantee from Army chief for ICC Women's T20 World Cup

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is clinging to the hope of hosting the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup despite ongoing violent protests and the imposition of an emergency by the interim government. In light of the current instability, the BCB has formally requested security assurances from General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Army, to ensure the safe conduct of the tournament, which is set to commence with warm-up games on September 27.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh and is exploring alternative hosting options. Should the tournament need to be relocated, the ICC is considering countries in similar time zones to Bangladesh, with India, the UAE, and Sri Lanka being potential candidates.

Political changes and ICC's decision timeline

On August 8, Bangladesh's interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, was appointed to manage the country’s affairs until new elections can be held. This political transition has led to the departure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and several board directors affiliated with her party, the Awami League. BCB President Nazmul Hassan and other directors were also forced to leave Bangladesh due to their political ties.

"We are trying to host the tournament," Iftekhar Ahmed Mithu, BCB's Umpire Committee chairman, told Cricbuzz. "To be honest there are not too many among us present in the country and on Thursday (August 8) we have sent a letter to the Army Chief regarding assurance about the security of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup as we have only two months in hand," Mithu told Cricbuzz on Thursday.

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"We have to give them assurance of the security..." 

Despite these challenges, some members of the BCB board remain in Dhaka and continue to hope for the possibility of hosting the event. The World Cup is scheduled to feature ten teams playing 23 matches across 18 days at two venues in Bangladesh: Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka and Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet, from October 3 to 20.

"ICC communicated with us two days back and we replied that we will come back to them shortly. Today after the [interim] government is formed, still we have to give them assurance of the security considering it cannot be given by the board or any anyone else apart from a law enforcement agency of the country and so we sent the letter today and after getting written assurance from them [the Army] we will inform the ICC," he added.

The ICC is expected to make a decision regarding the tournament's venue by August 10, following a thorough assessment of the situation on the ground in Bangladesh. The final decision will determine whether the World Cup will proceed in Bangladesh or be moved to an alternative location.