Bangladesh again says ‘no’ to playing in India, discussion on placing in another group

Since Bangladesh decided not to play in the World Cup in India, BCB has been holding online meetings with ICC. Meanwhile, Andrew Fegreave, general manager of ICC’s Integrity Unit, visited Dhaka to hold talks with Bangladesh.

In this evening’s meeting, Gaurav Saxena, general manager of ICC’s Events and Corporate Communications Division, also joined online. He could not attend in person as he did not receive his visa in time.

BCB’s press release tonight stated that in the meeting with the two ICC representatives, various issues regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup were discussed. BCB again formally requested ICC to shift Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka.

At the same time, they conveyed Bangladesh government’s perspective and concerns, highlighting the safety of the team, Bangladeshi supporters, media personnel, and other relevant stakeholders to ICC.

The meeting also discussed the possibility of placing Bangladesh in a different group as a solution with minimal logistical changes, BCB stated.

BCB was represented in the meeting by president Aminul Islam, vice-presidents Md Sakhawat Hossain and Faruk Ahmed, director and chairman of the Cricket Operations Committee Nazmul Abedin, and chief executive officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.

A BCB source said that although ICC representatives listened to BCB, they could not announce any decision. They mentioned that after discussions with ICC president Jay Shah, a decision would be communicated promptly.

BCB’s press release said that both sides agreed to continue their constructive dialogue with ICC.