Cricket: CA security team in city for clearer picture

A two-member security team of Cricket Australia (CA), led by its security manager Sean Carroll, arrived in Dhaka on Sunday to get an understanding of the situation of security here whether the Australia national cricket team can tour Bangladesh to play the two-match Test series.
Cricket Australia on Saturday decided to proceed with the tour of Bangladesh after its security manager Sean Carroll meets officials in Bangladesh, a news agency report said.
Australia cricket team players were due to arrive in Bangladesh on Monday, but their departure was postponed on Friday due to new security advice from the Australian government.
After the arrival, Carroll met Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan at the Australian High Commission in Bangladesh on Sunday.
Later, he had talks with the National Security Intelligence (NSI), Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and other national top security entities of Bangladesh.
Carroll will meet Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, police and security officials on Monday.
Following the meetings, the security team is expected to submit a report on Monday. The decision of the Australia tour to Bangladesh will depend on the report.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said on Sunday that there will be a clearer picture tomorrow (Monday) regarding whether the men’s national team can tour Bangladesh after their departure was postponed amid security concerns.
“Our position is we want the tour to go ahead as planned… we’ll be endeavouring to get some undertakings and understandings of what the situation is in Bangladesh before making any further decisions in regard to the tour,” Sutherland told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday.
Sutherland said Cricket Australia had been advised by the Australian government on Friday that there would be an adjustment to the official recommendations for traveling in Bangladesh as a result of intelligence advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
However, the two-Test tour gives Cricket Australia little time to make a decision, and it would be unlikely that the matches could be rescheduled to another location in a short notice. The Australian Cricketers' Association chief executive Alistair Nicholson said the ACA would work with Cricket Australia to keep the players informed.
Meanwhile, the BCB expressed surprise at Cricket Australia’s decision to delay its team’s departure for the tour of Bangladesh. The BCB said it found it surprising that CA decided to delay the tour so quickly.
BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said on Saturday, “We are very surprised that CA have given this media release. There is no violence in the country, no alerts in the country.”
Jalal hoped that things will be sorted out quickly and the delay will not last too long.
Australia are scheduled to play against BCB XI a three-day warm-up match starting from October 3 in Fatullah before the first Test in Chittagong on October 9.
The second Test, in Dhaka, is scheduled from October 17.
-SS