BCB to allocate separate stadiums outside Dhaka for practice of Women's team and U-19 team

Being the "home" of Bangladesh cricket, the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium has a busy schedule throughout the year. Most international and domestic matches are played here and apart from this, due to the various activities of the High Performance team and Bangla Tigers as well as the national team, other teams get into trouble with practising. 

In a short period of time, they have to practice at BCB's academy ground or rush to the BKSP.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been trying to solve this problem. It is going to allocate separate stadiums outside Dhaka for the practice of the national women's team and men's age-level teams. The BCB has prepared plans to renovate stadiums in Khulna, Rajshahi and Barishal.

BCB Director and Grounds Committee Chairman Mahbub Anam said that Shahid Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi is being prepared for the Under-19 men's team and Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna for the national women's team. Barishal Divisional Stadium will also be renovated to make it usable.

Mahbub Anam told the media in Mirpur on Wednesday, "Earlier, only the national team and the Under-19 team used to practice. Now there's the U-19 women's team as well as the national women's team. So they need grounds and practice facilities. I said earlier that we will work based on one center at a time. I have visited Rajshahi. We have already started working there."

The stadium in Rajshahi will be allotted to the U-19 team in January, though they will camp at the Abu Naser Stadium. Mahbub Anam said, "The indoor facility in Rajshahi is being reconstructed. We have helped repair it."

"We will do the same in Rajshahi as we have built practice facilities in Chittagong and Sylhet. We hope to prepare the practice facility in Rajshahi by this monsoon and arrange a permanent practice hub for the U-19 boys," he added.

The Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium used to host regular international matches. But no international match has been organised here after 2016. Several parts of the stadium were damaged in a storm in April 2016, which has not been renovated in seven years.

Mahbub Anam said, "Similarly, we have decided to make Khulna for the practice hub of the women's team. Our surveyors are now working in Rajshahi. After completing the work of Rajshahi, they will take up the work of Khulna."

Regarding the renovation work of Barishal Stadium, he said, "Thirdly we will take up the work of Barishal. NSC has done field development work there. We will also begin working on the remaining requirements for off-field practice. We will start these three field works this season. Hopefully these three facilities will be ready for the practice of the three groups within this year."

He said that even with improved facilities including field renovation, it is not possible to organise matches of BPL in Rajshahi. Because of this, BCB plans to activate Rajshahi with other levels of cricket.  "Some additional facilities are needed [to give matches]. It takes production facilities," he said. 

"We have seen that there is no media center and production space in Rajshahi. As it is under Facilities [Department], I don't want to interfere. However, there are hotels in Rajshahi. We will soon try to bring back the U-19, A team games to Rajshahi," said the BCB director.