Sheikh Hasina Stadium renamed as National Cricket Ground

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had initiated the construction of the Sheikh Hasina International Cricket Stadium, also known as 'The Boat', in Purbachal several years ago, funded entirely by the board itself.

While the groundwork began years ago, significant progress remained elusive. Instead, in august last year, the BCB cancelled the tender process for the stadium's construction. Now, the stadium has been renamed as the National Cricket Ground (NCG).

The 18th board meeting of the BCB took place on Monday, where numerous topics were discussed, including the renaming of the Purbachal stadium. Following the meeting, BCB's media committee chairman Iftikhar Ahmed Mithu announced the stadium's new name during a press conference.

He said, "A lot has been discussed in today's meeting, and we have made several decisions. As you know, a notification has been issued by the government. In light of that, we have decided to change the name of Sheikh Hasina Stadium... from now on, it will be referred to as NC, the National Cricket Ground. This has been done."

The process of building Sheikh Hasina Cricket Stadium began in 2018. However, despite all this time, very little progress has been made. Over the last seven years, although the work on the ground has not been done, the budget has been increased several times. Not a single pole has been installed, and the focus has been on making the ground suitable for play by the BCB.

After a political shift, the work on this stadium came to a halt. In August of last year, the tender for the construction work was canceled. Faruque Ahmed, after becoming the new BCB president, revealed this. At that time, he also mentioned that there would be changes to the name and design. Today, the new naming announcement was made. The boat-like design will also be changed.