BCB announces they are confident about hosting upcoming Test series

A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official announced on Monday that they are confident about hosting South Africa for the upcoming Test series, as the visiting Cricket South Africa (CSA) delegation expressed satisfaction with the security measures in place.

Previously, Cricbuzz reported that Bangladesh's hosting of South Africa for two Tests was contingent on security clearance, following the ICC’s decision to relocate the Women's T20 World Cup to the UAE due to political unrest in Bangladesh.

The CSA delegation, consisting of four members, arrived in Dhaka on September 21 and conducted inspections in Chattogram, where one of the Tests will be held. On Monday, they evaluated the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

During their visit, the delegation examined the stadium facilities and witnessed security drills led by Bangladesh's security forces.

"From their feedback, it's clear they are very satisfied. They appreciated the BCB and the security forces for making the necessary arrangements so swiftly. The delegation will now return to South Africa and submit their final report while we wrap up our internal preparations," BCB cricket operations manager Shahriar Nafees told reporters.

Nafees further explained, "We presented the usual security protocols the BCB implements for international series. Unfortunately, due to political unrest, we couldn’t host the Women's T20 World Cup. Their concerns led them to come and assess the current conditions and review our security plans. This is the first time South Africa has sent a delegation, likely prompted by the Women's T20 World Cup situation."

The delegation included former South African all-rounder Farhaan Behardien, now the cricket operations and player engagement manager at the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA), alongside three CSA officials.

They also visited the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Sunday for a similar review.

BCB officials held discussions with the Bangladesh Army, as well as members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Chattagram Metropolitan Police (CMP), to ensure smooth security arrangements.

South Africa is expected to arrive on October 16, with the first Test in Dhaka starting on October 21, followed by the second Test in Chattogram on October 29.