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DHAKA: Australia’s men’s cricket team were denied entry to a Dhaka Golf Course due to a logistical communication failure ahead of the ODI series against Bangladesh.
After concluding the Pakistan tour, Australia arrived in Bangladesh on 5 June for a white-ball series comprising three ODIs and the same number of T20Is. The tour will kick off with an ODI, scheduled on 9 June at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Following the 50-over series, the squad will head to Chattogram for T20Is, which will run from 17 to 21 June.
However, things turned awkward for the visitors when several members of the touring party were denied entry into the golf course on their scheduled rest day.
According to the Daily Star, initially only a handful of players planned to play golf, but later several other squad members also expressed interest in joining the outing. Permission was arranged earlier with the golf course authorities. For this reason, the organisers arranged transport accordingly.
But the inclusion of additional members required a change to the original plan that had already been submitted for approval, and players whose names were not included in the initial clearance request were denied entry upon arrival at the venue.
Earlier, the rumours suggested that the touring party faced restrictions linked to security concerns, a development that left the visitors displeased.
It is worth mentioning that the golf course is located in a restricted military zone, and advance permissions are required for vehicle entry.
The report quoted a BCB official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, noting that initially only a small group was expected to play, so permission was secured for a single microbus.
“Initially, only a small group was expected to play, so we secured permission for a single microbus,” the report quoted the source.
“However, when more players decided to join, a large team bus was required instead. We did not have the necessary clearance to bring a vehicle of that size through the cantonment area, meaning they could not proceed.”
“We are fully prepared to accommodate all of their logistical requests, but we require timely and clear communication from their management to ensure clearances,” the official added.
Australia squads for Bangladesh series:
ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott and Adam Zampa.
T20I squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw and Adam Zampa.
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