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Asia Cup to stay in Bangladesh

* Afghanistan to make Asia Cup debut * Tournament will have 11 matches, with the first one on February 25 and the final on March 8

Sports Reporter
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) heaved a sigh of relief with the reconfirmation from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that Bangladesh will remain the host of the Asia
Cup in February-March this year.
In light of the current political turmoil in the country and the withdrawal of the West Indies Under-19 team doubts had been raised over Bangladesh's viability as a venue not only for the Asia Cup but also for the ICC WorldTwenty20. The ACC's decision in Colombo yesterday finally put those doubts to rest and enabled cricket fans and administrators alike to breathe easier.
Therefore, this year's cricket festival is on for the country, which will play host to two big multinational events along with a home series against Sri Lanka, who are set to arrive in Dhaka on January 24 to play two Tests, three GDIs and twoT20Is.
BCB's acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, who attended the ACC meeting along with BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon, told The Daily Star over phone that the members attending the important meeting were convinced by their detailed security plan and no discussions took place about alternative venues.
ACC chief executive Syed Ashraful Huq also said that everything is in place for the Asia Cup. "The tournament will go ahead as scheduled in Bangladesh from February 25. Everything is in place for the tournament, no one raised any issue about safety," Huq told the AFP after the important meeting, which has also given Afghanistan an opportunity to compete with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The number of matches has gone up to eleven with the
inclusion of Afghanistan - for whom it will be great exposure before theT20 World Cup and the 2015 World Cup - and the final will take place on March 8.
Additionally, the ACC's decision will definitely help the BCB convince their Sri Lankan counterparts to going ahead with the scheduled tour. "Our president had a meeting with the Sri Lanka Cricket president and they were positive as well. They will present the security plan that we submitted to their government by January 8 or 9 and after that everything will be clear," said BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus, who also informed that they are trying to meet the opposition parties in an attempt to
obtain an open declaration regarding keeping cricket out of political programmes.
Cricket Sri Lanka's secretary Nishantha Ranatunga however hinted at its month-long bilateral tour of Bangladesh going ahead without any issues.
"We pay great attention to player safety and security. We have been assured of that. If we want cricket to continue in this region, we need to play in these (Asian) countries," Ranatunga told the AFP.
Apart from reconfirming Bangladesh as host, the ACC also awarded broadcast rights for this edition of the tournament to Star India, cutting ties with Nimbus.