ICC deliberates security issues ahead of U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh

BCB officials at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in October – The cancelled Australia tour has hurt Bangladesh cricket badly

David Richardson, The CEO of ICC, expressed his thoughts regarding the security issues for the Under-19 World Cup which is scheduled to be held in Bangladesh next year. He said that the governing body has gathered enough information about the security situation in Bangladesh to put together a plan ahead of the World Cup.

He also met Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka who guaranteed him that the country will do its best to cater outstanding security, reports ESPNCricinfo.

"Bangladesh has a history of staging events, so we have every confidence that they have the ability, but this was all about trying to assess what the real threat is," Richardson said on Saturday.

"There are a lot of perceptions out there. We have to get to the bottom of things and understand what the threat is. From a global perspective, it has become a lot more challenging from a security point of view to put on global events. This is no different.”

Richardson met the high commissioners of the UK and Australia even after getting the security presentations from the BCB after arriving in Dhaka on November 4 along with other three members. They also visited the Cox's Bazar stadium where they met intelligence agencies and the country's home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, as a part of ICC’s security assessment of Bangladesh ahead of the U-19 World Cup.

"Now we understand the threat and the kind of plan we would need to implement and put in place. It is now putting that plan together that we need to work on." said the CEO.

The ICC approved Bangladesh as the hosts of 2016 Under-19 World Cup in October which is scheduled to be held from 22 January to 14 February 2016. However, the security concerns should be given the utmost priority as there were many incidences recently, like Australia's cancellation of their tour to Bangladesh last month.

There has been a rise in incidents of violence in Bangladesh where the victims have been high-profile foreigners or liberals. After that Cricket South Africa has also become hesitant to send their women’s team to the country, they have called off the visit twice.