Image courtesy of: Zee News

Hassan is unsure whether the stadium in Sylhet will be completed in time

With the 2014 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 fast approaching, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan in under intense pressure to ensure all venues are up to standard after his country was given the honour of hosting the event.

However, things are already starting to go wrong as the pace of the development of the venues has been too slow and Hassan has been urged to speed it up after an ICC consultant visited the four sites intended to be used and was unsatisfied with the progress.

According to reports, the facilities at the stadium in Sylhet are still yet to be completed, while the new ground being built in the popular tourist destination of Cox’s Bazar is still under construction.

The other two venues being used are Mirpur and Chittagong.

“The ICC AGM [which will happen in London next week] is critical for us, because the ICC’s consultant who visited Bangladesh recently is not satisfied with what he saw at the World Twenty20 venues,” Hassan said. “There is a proposal to discuss alternative venues [in Bangladesh] at the meeting. We have to make them understand that there is no need for alternate venues. We can make do with what we have.

“The major challenge is with the stadium in Sylhet. We know that we can finish the Cox’s Bazar venue.”

Work on the floodlights and dressing rooms at the Sylhet ground only begun recently and Hassan noted that the National Sports Council were funding the development.

“If work hadn’t started at the venues within the last six months, then how can it be finished by September? The good news is that, recently, it has begun in full swing after the tender was taken,” Hassan added. “The finance minister and sports minister have given their full support as far as the budget is concerned. So when they [the ICC representatives] return in August, I am sure they will express their satisfaction.”