Bangladesh chief relieved at success of England's tour
Monday 31 October 2016 12:23, UK
The head of Bangladesh cricket has spoken of a “sense of great comfort and relief” after a thrilling Test series with England ended on Sunday without incident.
Security fears had initially put the tour in jeopardy, with limited overs captain Eoin Morgan and batsman Alex Hales choosing not to tour.
Australia called off a tour to the country at short notice last year on security grounds, but Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury is delighted England's tour went so well for his side, on and off the pitch.
"We've done everything possible to make the tour successful and it was a huge, a huge success," Chowdhury said after Bangladesh secured a 108-run victory in the second and final Test in Dhaka on Sunday to level the series, their first Test victory over England.
"A sense of great comfort and relief is prevailing everywhere."
The BCB was concerned a major security incident involving England could see it suffer the same fate as Pakistan, which has not hosted a major Test since an attack on the Sri Lankan bus during a match in Lahore in 2009.
Australia's chief security officer, Sean Carroll, visited Bangladesh last week to witness the measures provided for England and Nizamuddin was keen to stress they are capable of hosting international sides.
"It was a big challenge for us to host this event successfully on the field and off the field and we think we have done that. We have been praised by the England cricket board, their players and officials," Nizamuddin added.
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"Given the circumstances there could not have been a better series on and off the field.
"It's a clear message to the rest of the world that Bangladesh is an absolutely perfect venue for hosting any international event."
The first of the two matches, which England narrowly won by 22 runs, was Bangladesh's first Test in nearly 15 months.
Watch England's tour of India. The first Test between the sides gets underway on November 9, with coverage beginning on Sky Sports 2 HD and Sky Sports Mix at 3:30am.
