BCB aims to host ICC events in next cycle

The host nations of International Cricket Council (ICC) events in the next cycle, from 2024 to 2031, will be decided through a bidding process and Bangladesh will bid to become the sole hosts of some of those ICC events, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan informed yesterday.

The newly appointed ICC CEO Manu Sawhney and commercial general manager Campbell Jamieson reached Dhaka on Saturday for a short visit to discuss hosting ICC events for the next cycle. The ICC delegates, accompanied by the BCB president and CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, held a meeting with Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday.

“This [bidding process] is different from the way ICC events were distributed in the past. They have come with a new proposal. A total of 24 events which includes eight male, eight female and eight under-19 events will be allocated through this system. Previously, those events used to be hosted on a continental basis by member nations and was decided by the discussions between the boards. Now they have introduced the bidding system similar to the Olympics or FIFA events, where countries bid to host events. They [ICC] now want the countries to bid and it is not only for Test nations… it’s open for all. They even spoke to the Malaysian prime minister and are even thinking of meeting with the United States,” Hassan told reporters yesterday.

The BCB is hopeful of hosting some ICC events as Bangladesh had hosted events in the past. The most notable of those were the 1998 Mini World Cup, co-hosting the 2011 World Cup and solely hosting the 2014 World Twenty20.

“The new bidding cycle includes the World Cup, Champions Trophy… everything. Bangladesh will obviously bid as we have the advantage which associate nations do not have when it comes to infrastructure. For the men’s World Cup, a host needs to have eight stadiums, which many of the associate nations do not have. So, most of the Test playing nations do not require infrastructural development help from the government,” Hassan added.

Sawhney and Jamieson were scheduled to depart Dhaka last night.