Staff Reporter :
All-out security measures will be provided to the Australia’s national cricket team when they will come to Bangladesh for Test series, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Monday.
“Yet the Australia’s national cricket team wants more security, we are ready to offer them,” he told journalists after a meeting with visiting Cricket Australia (CA) security head Sean Carroll at his Secretariat office.
He added if necessary, the Australian cricket team would be given Very Very Important Person (VVIP) security.
“Apart from these, if they have any specific demand that would also be fulfilled,” the Home Minister said.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan Papon, Australian High Commissioner Greg Wilcock and European Union Ambassador Pierre Mayaudon and high-ups of police and different intelligence agencies were present in the meeting.
However, no decision has come yet whether the Australia’s national cricket team will visit or not. The visiting two-member security
team does not have authority to give decision regarding the issue, according to meeting sources.
Australia cricket team players were due to arrive in Bangladesh on Monday, but their departure was postponed on Friday due to new security advice from the Australian government.
The visiting two-member CA security team led by Sean Carroll also held meeting with the elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at its headquarters in city’s Uattara area yesterday.
The Home Minister said that the CA security team placed security concern in the meeting. “We have told them that what sorts of security measures would be taken during the Australia’s national cricket team tour. We have assured them of providing all-out security measures,” he said.
Talking to journalists Australian High Commissioner Greg Wilcock said that they discussed issues relating to security concern widely.
“Bangladesh government has informed us about its steps regarding security measures. The outcome of the meeting will be informed to the Australia government and Cricket Australia. And they will take the final decision regarding the tour,” he said.
BCB President Nazmul Hassan Papon said there was no discussion about whether Australia cricket team will come to Bangladesh or not in the meeting.
“Actually the main focus of discussion was Australia’s security concern,” he told journalists.
He said that he does believe cricket will not be played in Bangladesh due to security concern.
“We have tried to assure them of providing all sorts of security. We have also told them there is nothing to fear. The members of law enforcing agencies and intelligence agencies are capable to face any situation,” the BCB President said, adding blame for security lapses cannot be accepted.
Replying to a query, he said that they wanted to know from the team that from where they got the information about security concern.
“But they didn’t want to tell us,” said Nazmul Hassan Papon.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of team performance, Pat Howard, said the meetings would be a significant step.
“Today is a big day, we have a lot of meetings, a lot of people on the ground. We want to make sure we are not under-reacting, but also not over-reacting,” he told the Big Sky Breakfast radio show.
Howard confirmed that CA had reserved flights for the team to depart Australia on Tuesday night, with the team scheduled to play a three-day warm-up match in Fatullah starting on Saturday, October 3.
“The advice we got was pretty direct against Australians and we want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence. You just can’t take these things lightly,” he said.
Howard said there was no specific threat against the Australian cricket team, and previous visits to Bangladesh had been “fantastic”.
“We toured Bangladesh in 2014 for the World Twenty20 tournament and it was a fantastic tour,” he said, adding “There’s nothing wrong with Bangladesh, it’s just this threat we’ve got over the last couple of days.
The flight of the Australian players to Dhaka was postponed following a security advice from the Australian government, claiming that they had intelligence of militant groups might target the country’s cricket team in Bangladesh after arrival.
Earlier on Sunday, a two-member security team of Cricket Australia (CA), led by its security head Sean Carroll, came to Dhaka to get an understanding of the situation of security here whether the Australia’s national cricket team can tour Bangladesh to play the two-match Test series.
Australia was scheduled to play a three-day warm up match against BCB XI on October 3 before beginning two Test match series on October 9 in Chittagong and on October 17 in Dhaka.
All-out security measures will be provided to the Australia’s national cricket team when they will come to Bangladesh for Test series, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Monday.
“Yet the Australia’s national cricket team wants more security, we are ready to offer them,” he told journalists after a meeting with visiting Cricket Australia (CA) security head Sean Carroll at his Secretariat office.
He added if necessary, the Australian cricket team would be given Very Very Important Person (VVIP) security.
“Apart from these, if they have any specific demand that would also be fulfilled,” the Home Minister said.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan Papon, Australian High Commissioner Greg Wilcock and European Union Ambassador Pierre Mayaudon and high-ups of police and different intelligence agencies were present in the meeting.
However, no decision has come yet whether the Australia’s national cricket team will visit or not. The visiting two-member security
team does not have authority to give decision regarding the issue, according to meeting sources.
Australia cricket team players were due to arrive in Bangladesh on Monday, but their departure was postponed on Friday due to new security advice from the Australian government.
The visiting two-member CA security team led by Sean Carroll also held meeting with the elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at its headquarters in city’s Uattara area yesterday.
The Home Minister said that the CA security team placed security concern in the meeting. “We have told them that what sorts of security measures would be taken during the Australia’s national cricket team tour. We have assured them of providing all-out security measures,” he said.
Talking to journalists Australian High Commissioner Greg Wilcock said that they discussed issues relating to security concern widely.
“Bangladesh government has informed us about its steps regarding security measures. The outcome of the meeting will be informed to the Australia government and Cricket Australia. And they will take the final decision regarding the tour,” he said.
BCB President Nazmul Hassan Papon said there was no discussion about whether Australia cricket team will come to Bangladesh or not in the meeting.
“Actually the main focus of discussion was Australia’s security concern,” he told journalists.
He said that he does believe cricket will not be played in Bangladesh due to security concern.
“We have tried to assure them of providing all sorts of security. We have also told them there is nothing to fear. The members of law enforcing agencies and intelligence agencies are capable to face any situation,” the BCB President said, adding blame for security lapses cannot be accepted.
Replying to a query, he said that they wanted to know from the team that from where they got the information about security concern.
“But they didn’t want to tell us,” said Nazmul Hassan Papon.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of team performance, Pat Howard, said the meetings would be a significant step.
“Today is a big day, we have a lot of meetings, a lot of people on the ground. We want to make sure we are not under-reacting, but also not over-reacting,” he told the Big Sky Breakfast radio show.
Howard confirmed that CA had reserved flights for the team to depart Australia on Tuesday night, with the team scheduled to play a three-day warm-up match in Fatullah starting on Saturday, October 3.
“The advice we got was pretty direct against Australians and we want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence. You just can’t take these things lightly,” he said.
Howard said there was no specific threat against the Australian cricket team, and previous visits to Bangladesh had been “fantastic”.
“We toured Bangladesh in 2014 for the World Twenty20 tournament and it was a fantastic tour,” he said, adding “There’s nothing wrong with Bangladesh, it’s just this threat we’ve got over the last couple of days.
The flight of the Australian players to Dhaka was postponed following a security advice from the Australian government, claiming that they had intelligence of militant groups might target the country’s cricket team in Bangladesh after arrival.
Earlier on Sunday, a two-member security team of Cricket Australia (CA), led by its security head Sean Carroll, came to Dhaka to get an understanding of the situation of security here whether the Australia’s national cricket team can tour Bangladesh to play the two-match Test series.
Australia was scheduled to play a three-day warm up match against BCB XI on October 3 before beginning two Test match series on October 9 in Chittagong and on October 17 in Dhaka.
