Waterlogged Fatullah in race against time

Alternate venues are being considered for Australia’s sole warm-up match on this month’s Qantas Tour of Bangladesh.

Steve Smith’s men are scheduled to play a two-day practice game against a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium on August 22-23.

But the ground is waterlogged with contaminated water that has leaked into the stadium from adjoining factories – an issue that has been compounded by heavy seasonal rainfall, with the BCB now facing a race against time to have the venue ready for Australia.

Should the Fatullah ground be unavailable, Australia’s warm-up may instead be held at either Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan or Sylhet.

“We are aware of the situation at Fattulah and are working with the Bangladesh Cricket Board on options for an alternative venue, should it be required, for the tour match,” a CA spokesperson said.

BKSP, which is the country’s largest sporting institute, has hosted practice matches for touring sides in the past, but is based around 90 minutes from where the Australian squad will be based in Dhaka.

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Sylhet hosted matches during the 2014 World T20 tournament, but is 250km to the east of the capital, whereas Fatullah is 25.5km to the south of Dhaka.

BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said the board would discuss alternative venues with Cricket Australia this week.

"We are still trying to get Fatullah ready," Yunus said. "We are using pumps to drain out the water.

“Fatullah was set as the venue for the practice match almost a year ago. As the rain falls every day, the situation is becoming more delicate.

“The possibility (of the match being played in Fatullah) is falling, but we are thinking of alternative venues like the BKSP.

"We will hold talks with CA's security team about the venue, whether we can have it somewhere other than Fatullah.

“If we can shorten the travel time to BKSP, maybe there can be a solution. Sylhet is also an option but we have to see how viable it can be."

The squad is due to arrive in Dhaka on August 18.

Smith’s men are currently in Darwin, where they are undergoing a pre-tour training camp to adjust to the warm weather they will encounter in Bangladesh.

The 14-player touring party have been joined by some of the country's best young talent for a three-day practice game at Marrara Oval which began on Monday morning.

Australia in Bangladesh 2017

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade.

Bangladesh squad (preliminary): Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mahmudullah Riyad, Liton Kumar Das, Mominul Haque, Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Subhashish Roy, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Rubel Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Sanjamul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Mohammad Saifuddin, Anamul Haque, Abul Hasan Raju, Al Amin Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Muktar Ali, Tanbir Haider, Saqlain Sajib, Shafiul Islam.

11-17 August Australia pre-tour training camp, Darwin

18 August Australia arrive

22-23 August Tour match,Fatullah

27-31 August First Test, Dhaka

4-8 September Second Test, Chittagong