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 said on Monday..
“This must end in January and preferably in December.”
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.
{{/usCountry}}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.
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