Bangladesh sports advisor Asif Nazrul has strengthened the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) stance on requesting the International Cricket Council to shift all its T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka citing serious security concerns. Nazrul said the BCB will continue to dialogue with the ICC to convey the seriousness of the issue, which he believes is important for player safety as well as national dignity.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Nazrul referred to ICC's recent communication following a call with the board on Tuesday.
“Today, after reading the ICC's letter, we understand that the ICC does not fully realize the scale of the security issue regarding Bangladeshi cricketers in India. I believe this is not only a matter of security but also a matter of national humiliation. We are looking at this as a security issue, about which BCCI itself is telling Kolkata. [Knight Riders] The team says that this player cannot be given security. [so] Kick him off your team. That in itself is a tacit acknowledgment that it is not very safe to play in India,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Nazrul as saying.
bangladesh They are currently scheduled to play their first three group-stage matches of the T20 World Cup in Kolkata, while their final group match is scheduled for Mumbai. The matter gained momentum after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Kolkata Knight Riders instructed to remove Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from his team for IPL 2026, amid deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In response, the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the IPL within the country, while the BCB formally informed the ICC that the national team would not play its World Cup matches in India. The ICC held discussions with the BCB on Tuesday, following which the board issued a statement denying reports of receiving an ultimatum from the governing body and confirming that the essential engagement will continue. However, Nazrul later reiterated Bangladesh's position.
He said, “We don't want to say anything about the bigger picture, the communal situation in India. But when it comes to the safety of our cricketers, the safety of Bangladesh and the dignity of Bangladesh, we will not compromise. We want to play cricket, we want to play the World Cup – but we want to play in Sri Lanka, which is the second host country.”
We are respecting our position on this because we hope that we will be able to convince the ICC, and the ICC will consider our argument openly and fairly, so that we can get a chance to play in the World Cup. Whatever happens next, we will adopt a stance accordingly. At present we have clearly taken the stand that we will convince the ICC that such an environment does not exist. [right] For us to play in India,” he said.
BCB will follow government instructions: Aminul Islam
BCB president Aminul Islam also echoed the sentiments, saying the situation is more important than cricket and the players' safety.
“It is not possible for the cricket board to demand security of every person traveling to the World Cup from Bangladesh and this includes the team as well as fans and journalists. So we are following the government's directive as you know every foreign travel requires a government order,” Aminul said.
He further said that ICC has given permission to India and Pakistan not to play on each other's soil as geopolitical tensions are rising between the arch rivals. Should a similar situation arise between the co-hosts and Bangladesh, Aminul believes it would be appropriate for the organizers to shift their matches to the island nation.
“We came here [to meet with Nazrul] To know the status of that order. We understand that if security does not improve we will fight for our rights to participate in the World Cup. we will try Convince ICC. Aminul said, “Such security-related incidents have happened in the past also.”
“You know the main reason for the Hybrid World Cup is safety. So we hope to establish our reasons. When the Champions Trophy took place, India did not go to Pakistan. Even Pakistan did not go to India to play the World Cup. So we hope we get the right answer,” he concluded.
What will happen if Bangladesh does not travel to India?
If Bangladesh do not choose to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, and the ICC rejects their relocation request, the Liton Das-led side could be effectively knocked out of the tournament without participating, as all their group matches are currently scheduled to be played on Indian soil.
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