The three-member security delegation of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday visited Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) in Mirpur to assess the security measures ahead of England’s tour of Bangladesh.
Talking to reporters during the visit, ECB’s director of cricket operations John Carr said, “We’re here on a routine visit. We’ll assess team hotel, match and practice-match grounds facilities. We have meetings with the security providers. We’re grateful to the BCB and the government for their support.”
The delegation comprising of ECB security advisor Reg Dickason, Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) chief executive David Leatherdale and ECB’s director of cricket operations John Carr will go to Chittagong on Friday.
It had a meeting with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and the chiefs of local security agencies at Home Ministry on Thursday.
After their arrival in Dhaka on Wednesday, the delegation had meetings with the High Commissioners of Australia and the UK to Bangladesh.
After assessing the security measures, they will submit their report to ECB.
The England cricket team’s tour to Bangladesh for ODI and Tests series in Dhaka and Chittagong depend on the security delegation’s report.
Replying to a query, John Carr said, “It is up to ECB whether the cricket team will come or not. We won’t be saying anything specific about findings. We have to go back and report to the ECB before anything is made public.”
“We are very much aware of the provisions of the recent ICC events (Hosted by Bangladesh) recently,” Carr added.
Bangladesh hosted ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, ICC World T20 2016 and ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2016.
The English team is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on September 30 and will stay until November 2 to play three ODIs, two Tests and three practice matches in Dhaka and Chittagong.
The ODIs are scheduled to start on October 7, while the two-Test series on October 20.
