Hosting Australia match in Fatullah looks doubtful
Tigers to practice in Ctg from Aug 4
Sports Reporter
Even though the home Test series against Australia in the next month is in quandary because of Australian players payment dispute with its cricket board, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) prepares them as usually what they did in every series in the past.
But the challenge is to prepare the Fatuallha Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in time as it is presently submerged. It is water-logged at the slightest hint of rain and with the monsoon in full swing there is little chance for the venue to host the Australia in two-dayer practice game, scheduled to be held August 22-23.
As an alternative arrangement, the BCB is contemplating whether to shift the fixture from Fatullah to the BKSP in Savar. But the stadiums current condition raised a concern amongst the concerned people.
BCB Grounds and Facilities Committee chairman Hanif Bhuiyan put the blame on the National Sports Council (NSC) who actually is the owner of the ground.
At the moment, I wont say the ground will not host the practice game. But there is no progress in the work. NSC did meeting several times and BCB pushed them many times but there is no real progress as of now. We have to come out of this situation, otherwise everything will become difficult, Bhuiyan said.
The new sports secretary came here to have a courtesy meeting with our board president. Our president apprised him all the things. We have been trying for the last six months but I am really unable to understand why they have no headache.
The BCB has given the ground one of the best drainage system and so it raised a question whether the ground will be submerged in case of rain.
Bhuiyan explained: There is no problem with the ground. The problem is that its an industrial area and there is no good drainage system of those industries. So the outside water entered into the ground.
Bhuiyan also complained that they couldnt do the work as their wish because the ownership of the ground is not in their hand.
If the grounds related with cricket are in our capture, we can complete all the work by time. We have the necessary fund but we are chained in a bad system because we are not the owner of those grounds.
If you have love towards anything, you will give it a value. We have that feeling towards our grounds, so that sort of feelings the NSC need to have to have a smooth progress in work. He said that BCB has no shortage of grounds and if Fatullah is not prepared by August 18, they would think about the alternative ground to host the two-dayer practice game.
BCB is thinking about Fatullah because its an international ground. If anything negative crops up, it will be bad for BCB. So the board will take a decision certainly.
