Bangladesh to seek UN support in retaining Women's T20 World Cup hosting rights

Bangladesh's interim government is making a concerted effort to hold onto its hosting rights for the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup by seeking support from the United Nations (UN). 

Asif Mahmud, the youth and sports adviser to the government, announced that they plan to engage the UN in discussions with countries that have issued travel restrictions on their citizens visiting Bangladesh.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has notified the participating cricket boards that it is carefully monitoring the situation in Bangladesh. While the ICC has not yet decided to relocate the tournament, it has kept all options on the table. Currently, governments from Australia, the United Kingdom (including England and Scotland), India, and New Zealand have either advised against or banned travel to Bangladesh due to security concerns.

According to sources, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) considers these travel restrictions the biggest hurdle to hosting the tournament. The BCB has limited influence over the decisions of these foreign governments, which are responsible for lifting any travel bans or restrictions.

"There are travel restrictions for some countries and so we will speak with the United Nations. There are some issues regarding security and infrastructure and we will talk in this regard with professor Yunus [chief adviser to Bangladesh's interim government]. He is a sports lover and hope that he can resolve the matter," Mahmud said.

This uncertainty arises at a difficult time for the BCB, which is currently facing a major internal crisis. Nazmul Hassan, the BCB president and former sports minister, has been missing since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5. Several other board directors, some of whom have political connections, are also untraceable.

Mahmud has mentioned the possibility of forming an interim body to manage the BCB, but he emphasized the importance of the board's autonomy in making its own decisions. 

"The BCB president is missing. Of course, for a federation to function, all of its organs need to work. The president holds an important responsibility and he is absent. The BCB is an autonomous federation and we cannot give them any decision," Mahmud stated.

"We have suggested to the BCB directors to look at how to resolve the issue within the ICC's legal framework. They will report to us later on whether to appoint someone for an interim period. We will continue the process in this regard," he further added.

Mahmud also added that while changes may be necessary, they should focus on improving the system rather than simply replacing individuals. 

"We want to make required changes but at the same time we need to follow a process. We don't want to change the person; rather, we want to change the system so that whoever comes in by following that system, corruption cannot come in and we want to take steps so that we can make a permanent solution," he concluded.