Australia security team to visit Bangladesh next week

Cricket Australia will send a security team to Bangladesh next week as part of the process to finalise arrangements for the team`s tour in August-September. Nizamuddin Chowdhury, CEO of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, has said CA will take a call on going ahead with the tour based on the report of the security team.

"Teams like Australia, England and India have certain standard pre-tour activities," Chowdhury said on May 6. "Going by that, Cricket Australia will send a team in the middle of this month. They will check the security arrangements and assess other opportunities. These are standard practices that always take place. Only after this visit can their board officially give them the green signal to come here."

CA chief executive James Sutherland said on Monday that the board is confident the tour will take place given the feedback it has received from its government agencies.

"We`re just working through all the details," Sutherland said. "I`m very pleased to be at a stage of really fine-tuning the detail - there are still some things that we need to work through just to lock down on security.

"Once our hosts have locked in dates and the schedule, then from us it`s all systems go, subject to any security concerns we might have. From all the research we`ve done and the work we`ve done with [the Department of] Foreign Affairs and others through government agencies, we`re confident the tour will take place."

Earlier this month, BCB president Nazmul Hassan had said that his CA counterpart David Peever had personally assured him of Australia`s participation in the two-Test series during last month`s ICC meeting in Dubai.

Australia are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on August 18. The tour will begin with a practice match in Chittagong from August 22 to 24, followed by the first Test from August 27 to 31, also in Chittagong, and the second Test from September 4 to 9 in Mirpur.

Source: ESPNcricinfo