'Foreign hosts need to step up security'

NAZMUL HASSAN

Following the horrific shooting incident in New Zealand's Christchurch where the Bangladesh team survived a close shave, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said that the board will be asking for a minimum level of security before going on overseas tours. In the case that security requirement is not met, the team will not be allowed to tour.

During a brief to the media at his residence in Gulshan yesterday, the BCB president said that when it came to security issues, 'we don't demand too much in regards to security for our overseas tours; no one actually does when they play in countries like New Zealand.'

He felt that the New Zealand authorities were not prepared for a situation like this. "I don't think they had any idea that something like this could happen there. For example preparation and everything, the amount of time it needed for the police to get there is not normal."

Then he said that it was now time to look at the safety measures properly and ensuring security of the players in a more robust way, adding that things will surely change now.

 "What is certain after this incident is that we will ensure our minimum required security ourselves. We will only tour those countries which can provide that security or else we will not be able to visit."

He compared the security measures taken in our country to those ensured by the rest of the countries, implying that fool-proof security such as in Bangladesh is not usually ensured in most countries.

"What I feel is that the kind of security overseas is not adequate. Because what we do [in terms of security] is a whole lot more," Hassan said.

When asked what security measures, if any, they would ask to the England and Wales Cricket Board during the upcoming World Cup, Hassan said that ICC implements its own security for the global events like the World Cup and that he was confident that the measures in England will be adequate to ensure safety for the team.

"ICC ensures security during their events. There is a minimum standard which they make sure are implemented. "Since England has seen this kind of incidents before and is very alert. My thinking is that they will provide good security. From our side, we will undertake extra measures as per requirement," he said.