BCB fixes venues for U-19 World Cup
Hathurusingha against playing long series with Zimbabwe
Sports Reporter
The venue for the ICC Under-19 cricket World Cup, to be held in Bangladesh in January next year, was finalised with 48 matches being played at different venues across the country.
The BCB chose four districts Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Coxs Bazar as the venue for the event.
Dhaka got the highest number of matches. Two venues of Dhaka- Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium and Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Narayanganj will host a total of 19 matches including the final and the semi-final.
The home of cricket Mirpur will host nine matches while Fatullah got 10 matches, highest as the venue.
Coxs Bazar got 17 matches with two grounds of the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Complex simultaneously hosting those matches.
The number one ground will host nine matches while the rest of the eight matches will be taken place at number two ground.
A total of seven matches will be held in Chittagong with MA Aziz Stadium hosting three while the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium getting the nod of organizing four matches.
Sylhet Divisional Stadium and the stadium of the Sylhet District Sports Association will host five matches.
The event will run from January 23 to February 14. A reserve day is kept for the final match, scheduled to be held on February 14.
Besides a total of 16 practice matches will also be held at BKSP, Chittagong and Fatullah.
The tournament however will coincide Bangladesh national teams home series against Zimbabwe who will arrive in the country on January 12 to play a series consisting three Tests, five ODIs and three Twenty20 matches.
It is likely that all of the matches of the series will be held outside of Dhaka. Newly built Sylhet Divisional Stadium may get the nod of organising the Test match for the first time with the series.
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha wants it to be a two-match Test series, showing his reservation about playing three Tests against Zimbabwe.
Sources said some members of the BCB also were against the idea of long series against Zimbabwe considering the World Twenty20 which will be held in India in March next year. They thought the long series may make the players tired and injured ahead of the World Cup.
