Cricket gets a new home in Bangladesh

Bangladesh cricket got a welcome boost with the news that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been handed a new stadium in the capital Dhaka.

Until now the BCB has had to share the almost decrepit Bangabandhu National Stadium with a number of other sports organisations, and pitches had to be laid before major games. This not only proved extremely expensive, but also meant that players were unable to practise before matches.

The BCB have been given the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, and the grant of US$500,000 which it was given by the International Cricket Council will be used to make the stadium the most modern in the country.

The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium was built in the 1980s and, until now, has been used mostly used to stage athletics and football. Athletics meetings will now switch to the Bangabandhu National Stadium, while football will also get its own new venue at Kamalapur.