DHAKA: The International Cricket Council (ICC) might replace Bangladesh with another team if the latter refuses to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, according to a top cricket website.
The coverage suggests that the issue regarding Bangladesh’s involvement will be concluded by the 21st of January. The ICC has supposedly communicated the cut-off date to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) through the ongoing deliberations in Dhaka.
Bangladesh has repeatedly expressed its objection to the idea of going to India because of security problems. Moreover, the website reports that the ICC did not permit Bangladesh to swap groups, especially their demand to play in place of Ireland in Group B.
Security Issues and ICC’s Guarantee
One of the reasons for Bangladesh’s non-attendance is security problems related to threats issued to its player Mustafizur Rahman in the IPL. The latter was initially part of the Kolkata Knight Riders but unfortunately had to leave the franchise as a result of receiving threats from Indian extremists.
As a matter of fact, the ICC has given Bangladesh the same assurance regarding security which is considered in the security alerts sent to the 20 participating nations, that there are no short-term security risks for any teams in India. Nevertheless, the ICC is still hoping for a clear response from Bangladesh. If the latter decides to pull out of the tournament officially, the ICC might pick another team according to ICC rankings with Scotland being a probable substitute.
Pakistan’s Assistance to Bangladesh
Pakistan has already offered its complete backing to Bangladesh as the situation unfolds. As per the government sources, the Bangladeshi government is already in talks with Pakistan about the matter.
According to the reports, resolving Bangladesh’s issue could lead to Pakistan reconsidering its T20 World Cup participation. Pakistani authorities have stated that Bangladesh has a point and such matters should not be ignored, while stressing that no nation should be allowed to bully another.
The ICC’s wait for Bangladesh’s ultimate decision has left the future of their World Cup participation in limbo.
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