Adviser Asif visits BCB, meets Tamim

Youth and Sports adviser Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan made his first visit to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) headquarters on Monday noon, where he met with officials, staff, cricketers and had a discussion with former Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal.

"Our Youth and Sports adviser has visited our office today," said BCB chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury.

"He saw the board facilities in person. From what I understood, he has some plans as well. He might also visit the other federations in the coming days." He added.

This was Asif's first visit to the BCB office since his appointment on August 8.

Interestingly, Tamim, who has not played for Bangladesh since his ouster from the 2019 World Cup squad, returned to the BCB after several months and the two were seen engaged in discussion.

There is curiosity about what they spoke about, however, Nizamuddin could not provide any specifics in this regard.

"I can say that there was no specific discussion with anyone. The adviser spoke with several people in the BCB who shared their experiences.

"I don't know in what capacity he [Tamim] came here. The adviser was here and he spoke with him. I saw him with the adviser, apart from that I don't know anything about it," he said.

Nizamuddin, meanwhile, said that the travel advisories from different countries are now the biggest challenge to hosting the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup, scheduled from October 3.

"The kind of preparation we have, we are extremely confident that we will be able to organise the Women's T20 World Cup in due time. The government is also very proactive and they have called us about the matter on their first day at office.

"The Bangladesh Army has also ensured us full support and cooperation about the matter later on. We have informed the matter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) officials and they are happy with our preparation and everything.

"The government has taken the matter seriously. We have already communicated regarding the matter. There are some travel advisories about coming to Bangladesh from some countries. This matter can't be solved by the BCB or ICC. So, the state is working on this matter.

"They [ICC] are positive about our arrangements. They have no doubts about our capability and experience. Travel restriction is now the main challenge," he said, adding that the BCB officials will attend a virtual meeting with the ICC tomorrow regarding the Women's T20 World Cup.

"There will be a virtual meeting with the ICC. The meeting will be attended by the existing members of the board," he concluded.