Citing security concerns, West Indies declines to play Bangladesh

DHAKA, Dec. 8 (nsnewswire) — Citing security concerns, West Indies Under 19 cricket team Sunday declined to play against Bangladesh in Chittagong.

The visitors expressed their reluctance after a bomb was blasted Saturday night in front of Hotel Agrabad in the seaport city, where the West Indies team have been residing.

Bangladesh was rocked by recurrent small homemade bombs attacks in the recent weeks.

Some 50 people, including nine on Wednesday, have been reportedly dead and hundreds others injured during roads, rail and waterways blockade which triggered wide spread violence since Nov. 26 in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies have enforced another round of non-stop 72-hour blockade from Saturday morning to press home its demand for a non-party caretaker government.

The announcement of the fresh blockade came hours before the end of the ongoing 131-hour non-stop blockade, which expired 5 pm Thursday.

Source said West Indies youths also refused to play as Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal enforced dawn-to-dusk strike in the port city of Chittagon for Sunday demanding release of their detained leaders.

The hartal is in effect on top of the fresh spell of nationwide 72-hour blockade of the BNP-led 18-party alliance.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in a statement Saturday night said, “An explosion occurred a short distance away from the team hotel in Chittagong on Saturday evening.”

“The players and members of team management were not targeted and were not in any immediate danger as a result of the incident,” said the WICB Media Release issued on Saturday at St. John’s, Antigua.

The WICB management has been in contact with Team Manager Altamont Solomon and will continue to receive regular briefings. The team gathered shortly after the incident and are safe at their team hotel and have been afforded additional security protection.

The WICB is working with the Bangladesh Cricket Board to ensure the continued safety of the team. Further WICB Security Manager Paul Slowe will formally assess the situation and provide a report to the WICB.

The WICB thanks the BCB and Bangladeshi authorities for their efforts in hosting and providing security for the team. The WICB is contacting the parents and guardians of all the players and will provide further updates as necessary.

The West Indies team arrived in Dhaka on Dec. 2 on a 19-day tour to play seven ODIs against Bangladesh youths.