THIS IS MY FIRST UPDATE FOR 2016 AND IT COMES TO YOU FROM THE PORT
CITY OF CHITTAGONG IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH WHICH
IS PLAYING HOST TO THE INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL’S UNDER 19 WORLD CUP.
THE EVENT IS INTO IT’S 11 TH EDITION WITH THE FIRST ONE HAVING BEEN HELD IN 1988 AND HAS BUILT A REPUTATION FOR BEING THE LAUNCHING PAD FOR THE FUTURE STARS OF THE GAME.
THE 19 DAY TOURNAMENT OFFICIALLY GETS UNDER WAY ON WEDNESDAY 27TH AND THERE WILL BE 48 MATCHES PLAYED ACROSS 8 DIFFERENT VENUES IN BANGLADESH.
THIS IS MY FIRST EVER VISIT TO THIS COUNTRY SO HOPEFULLY I SHALL OVER
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS BE ABLE TO CONVEY TO YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT I
SHALL EXPERIENCE BEARING AT THE OUTSET THE FACT THAT THERE HAS BEEN A TIGHT SECURITY BLANKET PLACED AROUND THE EVENT AND THAT OUR MOVEMENTS HAVE UNDERSTANDABLY BEEN SERIOUSLY CURTAILED.
I LANDED IN DHAKA ON SUNDAY EARLY EVENING AFTER FLIGHTS FROM PORT ELIZABETH VIA JOHANNESBURG & DUBAI .
THERE WERE QUITE A FEW OTHER ICC MATCH OFFICIALS WHO LINKED UP IN
DUBAI FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD SO WE WE WERE ALL MET AT THE HASRAT SHAHJALAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN DHAKA WHERE
SECURITY OFFICERS AND LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
ENSURED OUR BRISK PASSAGE THROUGH CUSTOMS & SECURITY THEN INTO
BUSSES FOR THE JOURNEY OF ABOUT AN HOUR INTO THE CITY WHERE WE CHECKED IN AT THE PLUSH LE MERIDIEN HOTEL.
THE TIME DIFFERENCE OF 4 HOURS MEANT THERE HAD TO BE SOME
ADJUSTMENTS MADE AND AFTER THE USUAL UNPACKING AND SETTLING IN IT WAS NECESSARY TO GET IN SOME SOLID SLEEP AS MONDAY & TUESDAY SAW US ALL BUSY AT THE WORKSHOP IN PREPARATION FOR THE EVENT.
IT IS SOMETIMES NOT EASY TO EXPLAIN WHAT GOES INTO ORGANIZING SUCH
A MAJOR WORLD EVENT BUT YOU COULD PROBABLY WORK THIS OUT BY
THINKING OF THE LOGISTICAL ARRANGEMENTS THAT NEED TO BE PUT IN TO PLACE TO BRING 16 TEAMS INTO THE COUNTRY – ADD TO THAT ALL THE MATCH OFFICIALS AS WELL AS OTHER PERSONNEL AS WELL AS ICC STAFF MEMBERS.
IT BECAME EVIDENT FROM THE TIME WE GOT HERE THAT THE GOVT HAD
SPARED NO COST IN ENSURING THE SAFETY OF ALL THOSE AT THE
TOURNAMENT SO SECURITY IN THE FORM OF ARMED GUARDS AS WELL AS PERSONAL SECURITY OFFICERS FOR OFFICIALS AND TEAMS HAS BEEN GIVEN PRIORITY .
AFTER THE WORKSHOP ENDED IT WAS TIME FOR THE VARIOUS MATCH OFFICIALS TO SPLIT UP AND MOVE OFF TO THE VARIOUS CENTRES WHERE MATCHES WOULD BE PLAYED.
20 OF THE MATCHES SHALL BE LIVE ON NATIONAL TV AROUND THE WORLD SO POSSIBLY YOU SHALL CATCH SOME OF THEM ON SUPERSPORT OR WHICHEVER SPORT CHANNEL YOU WILL BE FOLLOWING THE CRICKET ON IN YOUR COUNTRY.
THE LE MERIDIEN HOTEL IN DHAKA WAS OUTSTANDING AND THE TIGHT
SCHEDULE MEANT THERE WAS NOT MUCH TIME TO EVEN GET TO SEE MUCH
ELSE- HOPING THIS SHALL BE CORRECTED WHEN I RETURN THERE FROM CHITTAGONG ON 3 FEB.
FLEW ON WED FROM DHAKA TO CHITTAGONG ON US BANGLA AIRLINE- A SHORT 40 MINS OR SO HOP OVER TO THIS 2ND LARGEST CITY IN BANGLADESH.
THE 45 MINS DRIVE FROM THE SHAH AMANAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BROUGHT HOME THE REALITY TO ME OF WHERE I ACTUALLY WAS AND HOW PRIVILEGED SO MANY OF US ARE IN OUR DAILY LIVES.
THE POT-HOLED, CONGESTED ROADS TOOK US ALONG PATHWAYS THAT
SADDENED ME IN SO MANY WAYS- WE HAVE MADE SO MUCH PROGRESS ON SO
MANY FRONTS AND YET HUMANS ARE SUBJECTED TO SUCH CONDITIONS OF ABJECT POVERTY AND HARDSHIPS IN SO MANY COUNTRIES.
AMIDST THE FIGHT FOR DAILY SURVIVAL LIFE CARRIES ON AND
EVERYWHERE THERE WERE THREE-WHEELERS OVER-FILLED WITH PEOPLE
GETTING TO OR COMING FROM WORK, UNKEMPT CHILDREN SCROUNGING
AROUND ENORMOUS RUBBISH DUMPS ALONG THE ROADSIDES, RICKSHAWS
PULLING ALONG HEAVY LOADS OR CYCLE-RICKSHAWS FERRYING PASSENGERS
ALONG BUSY PATHWAYS- EVERYWHERE THERE WERE COLORFUL TRUCKS
AND BUSSES – PEOPLE AND MORE PEOPLE – CONTRASTED EVERY NOW AND
THEN BY AREAS WHERE MODERN SHOPS COULD BE SEEN AND FINALLY UPON ARRIVING AT THE NEWLY OPENED RADDISON BLU HOTEL, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN – OPULENCE AND LUXURY!
THAT JOURNEY JUST HUMBLES ONE AND MAKES ONE AUTOMATICALLY RESORT
TO A PRAYER OF THANKFULNESS AND AT THE SAME TIME OFFERING PRAYERS FOR THE DOWNTRODDEN AND THE INDIGENT.
PRIVATE CLUBS ARE IMPORTANT IN BANGLADESH- VISITORS WILL BE AMAZED AT HOW EXPENSIVE CERTAIN LUXURIES ARE AT INTERNATIONAL HOTELS SO
LOCALS OF A CERTAIN STANDING WOULD INVITE SPORTS PERSONS TO THEIR
CLUBS WHERE THEY CAN ENJOY MEALS AS WELL AS REFRESHMENTS AT CLUB
PRICES! THESE CLUBS ARE WELL RUN AND HAVE IN SOME CASES TOTAL
SPORTS FACILITIES AS WELL FOR THEIR MEMBERS- NOT SURE HOW EASY IT
WOULD BE TO BECOME A MEMBER BUT I DOUBT IT WOULD HAPPEN UNLESS YOU KNOW SOMEONE IN HIGH PLACES!
WE WENT TO THE UTTARA CLUB IN DHAKA AND LAST NIGHT WE WENT TO
THE CHITTAGONG CLUB WHICH IS SITUATED A WALKING DISTANCE FROM
OUR HOTEL. EXCELLENT SETTINGS AND CUISINE OF A GOOD VARIETY ON
OFFER- NOT TO MENTION THE BEERS OF OFCOURSE FOR SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES.
WED AFTERNOON WE DID THE VENUE INSPECTION – THE MA AZIZ STADIUM
CAN BE SEEN FROM MY ROOM AND ABOUT 30 MINS AWAY IS THE MAIN ZAC STADIUM- IMPRESSIVE STADIUM WHICH HAS HOSTED MANY INTERNATIONAL MATCHES IN CHITTAGONG.
THINK BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF THE CONTRASTING SITUATIONS OF BANGLADESH – THE PEOPLE ARE WONDERFULLY WELCOMING AND WARM IN THEIR DEALINGS WITH US.OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS THERE WILL BE WARM-UP MATCHES FOR THE TEAMS EVERYWHERE- THEN WED THE OPENING MATCH TAKES PLACE HERE IN CHITTAGONG- DEFENDING CHAMPIONS SA PLAY THE HOSTS BANGLADESH AT THE ZAC STADIUM- THIS WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE AND MY FELLOW MATCH REFEREE GRAEME LE BROOY WILL BE OFFICIATING ( NEUTRAL).
UNTIL MY NEXT UPDATE MY FONDEST GOOD WISHES AND AS USUAL, ASK FOR SOME RESPONSE OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
ALWAYS
JUST
DEV
