DHAKA: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has not changed its mind about the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in India and has decided not to participate because of security issues. The BCB President, Nazmul Hassan Amin has asked the ICC for more time so that he can talk to the government of Bangladesh about the issue.
Speaking through a microphone, Amin represented the players’ point of view when he said that they wanted to take part in the World Cup but the safety of players, officials, and spectators in India was still a big issue. He told the ICC: “We are requesting that our matches be hosted in Sri Lanka.” “We all want to play in the World Cup, but we believe that the traveling to India is not safe at this point.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) after a thorough security concern assessment, stated that India has no specific area where cricket is played that jeopardizes the safety of players, officials, and spectators, according to their security assessment. As well, they mentioned that changing the schedule would be unfeasible at this point, considering the World Cup is coming up very soon.
One unforeseen development came when the Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team (one of the participating teams in the Indian Premier League) on account of Hindu terror threats. This incident not only heightened the already tense relations between the two cricket boards but also compelled the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to convene an emergency meeting, which culminated in a decision not to send its team to India.
In a virtual meeting with the ICC Board present, the impossibility of changing the tournament’s venue was stated. All the boards, with the sole exception of Pakistan, were against the proposal of moving Bangladesh’s matches, and Sri Lanka also expressly rejected the idea of playing Bangladesh’s group stage matches on their soil.
There are rumours that if Bangladesh does not send its team to India, the ICC might give the slot to another team, but so far, no official announcement has been made.
This dispute certainly reveals clashing political and Sports interests, with Cricket being most affected and the one with the greatest problems worldwide.
