Bangladesh authorities are "promising England's cricketers unprecedented security when they begin a controversial tour Friday, desperate to prevent the country from becoming a no-go zone for international sport," according to the AFP. An attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July that killed 18 foreigners "threw a powerful spotlight on the dangers posed by Islamist extremists who have also slain dozens of activists and members of Bangladesh's religious minorities." After its own security expert carried out an assessment in Bangladesh, England's cricket board "decided to go ahead with a month-long tour" that begins with three One-Day Internationals followed by two Test matches. But while Alastair Cook will captain the Test team as normal, ODI captain Eoin Morgan has "decided not to travel on security grounds, handing over responsibility to Jos Buttler." Bangladeshi Cricket Board CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that "unprecedented security" measures have been promised by the law enforcement agencies during the England tour. He said, "We will take steps not only for the teams but we have also been given assurances by the police department that they will take special care for the supporters and the foreign media as well." Bangladesh police also "pledged to provide top-level security to the team, saying there was no reason to doubt their ability to do so." Australia pulled out of a planned tour a year ago after Australia Cricket Board CEO James Sutherland said that there was a "risk of terrorism in Bangladesh targeting Australian nationals." Bangladesh is "desperate to avoid the fate of Pakistan" which -- apart from a series against Zimbabwe in '15 -- has not hosted any int'l cricket since gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus during a '09 Test in Lahore (DAWN, 9/29).
REVIEW SYSTEM: REUTERS' Amlan Chakraborty reported India test captain Virat Kohli "remains sceptical on the accuracy of ball-tracking technology but hinted India might be ready to finally embrace the Decision Review System." The Board of Control for Cricket in India has been a "staunch opponent" of the DRS system, which "aims at reducing umpiring howlers by detecting edges and predicting ball trajectory to get correct catch and leg-before decisions." The BCCI does not allow DRS in bilateral series involving its team but Kohli said that it "had been discussing the issue for a while." He said, "We want to definitely think about it but it's something we have had discussion on and certainly look to probably introduce it in future. These are the things we have had meetings on. There were areas which we felt can be debated... especially the ball-tracking and the Hawk-Eye" (REUTERS, 9/29).
FACING SUSPENSION: THE HINDU's Amol Karhadkar reported if the Indian Supreme Court accepts a committee's request of superseding all the office-bearers of the BCCI and appoints in their place "a Panel of Administrators," the BCCI will be "in danger of being suspended" by the Int'l Cricket Council. Article 2.9 of the ICC’s rulebook, titled "Independence of Member boards," specifies that external intervention, especially that from the government, "would attract action against the member." Article 2.9 states, "Members must provide for [a] free elections and/or (b) appointments from amongst their members for their executive body or nominees from outside their members appointed by their executive body." As a result, the "uncertainty over the BCCI administration is unlikely to clear up," even after the next Supreme Court hearing on Oct. 6 (THE HINDU, 9/28).
