NCL venue crisis

The National Cricket League (NCL) is facing a full-blown venue crisis just 20 days before its scheduled start on 3 October.

While the eight divisional teams have announced preliminary squads and begun preparations, the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) Tournament Committee is yet to finalise where the tournament will actually be played.

Following on-site inspections, reports submitted by the BCB delegation have raised serious doubts over staging matches at both the Khulna and Barishal divisional stadiums.

Tournament Committee manager Abu Emam Mohammed Kawsar pulled no punches over the state of the Khulna venue.

"The current condition of Khulna Divisional Stadium is not satisfactory at all. Work on the players' dressing rooms and media box remains unfinished, while the ground will also require time to prepare," Kawsar told Daily Sun on Sunday.

"It is not only the NCL that is uncertain here; even hosting the Bangladesh First T20 is in doubt."

The crisis has been compounded by the National Sports Council's (NSC) plans for major renovation work at Khulna Stadium, meaning cricket cannot be staged there until the project is completed.

Barishal Divisional Stadium is also in limbo.

Although the NSC was due to hand over the venue to the BCB on September 15, the council has sought another month, with dressing rooms, pavilion, offices and the press box still unfinished.

The outfield also needs levelling, the grass density increased, and the new wicket made fit for competitive cricket.

Still, Kawsar sees Barishal as a potential host for the Bangladesh First T20.

"Some civil works and fittings are still pending. The grass density also needs to be increased. Before making the pitch playable, we will have to arrange some trial matches. I hope the work will be completed within the time available," he said.

Tournament Committee chairman Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir has been left counting the cost, insisting several grounds across the country have lost their suitability for first-class cricket.

"Among the venues where the NCL was previously held, only Dhaka, Chattogram, BKSP, Sylhet and Rajshahi are now in good condition. Fatullah, Bogura, Cox's Bazar and Khulna are unsuitable for first-class matches. So, we have to look for alternative venues," Alamgir said.

Renovation work at Barishal is nearing completion, but the NSC is yet to begin its Khulna project, while Bogura Shaheed Chandu Stadium awaits an assessment report on its suitability.

At Cox's Bazar, the NSC plans to build a sports complex on the site of the existing stadium, and the proposed earth-filling and renovation project at the Fatullah Stadium complex remains uncertain.

Alamgir laid the blame squarely at the door of the previous BCB board, whose negligence, he said, had left so many important cricket venues unusable at the same time.

The final NCL squads will be confirmed on 22 September, but where the season's first-class opener will be played remains anyone's guess.