Junior World Cup in January 2016 likely to be shifted to India after security concerns emerge in Bangladesh

India were champions of the Under-19 World Cup in 2012, South Africa won it in 2014

After Australia cancelled their tour of Bangladesh citing security concerns last month, the ICC has woken up to the problem of whether a top-level international tournament can be hosted by the country at all. As a result of an ongoing ICC meeting, it is highly likely that the U-19 World Cup, scheduled to be hosted in Bangladesh in January 2016, may be shifted to India or Sri Lanka, according to reports.

The understanding is that the world body is looking for a country that is in the same time zone as that of Bangladesh, and are not planning to postpone the event. With Pakistan out of the equation for the same reasons as trouble-torn Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka appear to be frontrunners. UAE is also an option, but broadcaster Star is likely to prefer it to be held in India.

The junior World Cup is slated to start on January 24, and will go on till March, barely days before the World T20 is to be hosted in India starting from 11 March.

The 16 teams participating in the eleventh edition of the junior World Cup include Australia, England, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Namibia, Canada, Fiji and Scotland.

It is not yet known whether BCCI are eager to be jumping on the opportunity to host two World Cups in the short span of three months, but back-to-back showpiece events is likely to have both favourable and adverse effects. As the recent fiasco in Cuttack showed, India is not immune to security threats either.

Need to take Bangladesh cricket forward: BCB

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Cricket Board is planning to arrange a tri-nation tournament at the end of this year involving Zimbabwe and West Indies, in a desperate bid to assure the world cricket body of adequate security arrangements in the country.

Australia cancelled their tour because their security personnel had detected threats on the lives of the Australian cricket team players.

“We have to take our cricket forward so we are thinking of arranging a tri nation tournament with Zimbabwe and West Indies in lieu of previously schemed bilateral series with Zimbabwe; the board President will discuss the matter in ICC meeting”, said Chairman of BCB Cricket Operations committee, Naimur Rahman Durjoy.

Australia pulled out of a Test series from Bangladesh recently and South African women followed suit, spelling doom for Bangladesh as hosts. South Africa and India’s recent tours of Bangladesh were also interrupted earlier this year, but weather was to blame on those occasions rather than security threats.