Bangladesh’s absence from T20 World Cup very disappointing: AB de Villiers
Bangladesh declined to play in the T20 World Cup in India citing security concerns, but the ICC did not agree to the request.
As a result, the ICC included Scotland in the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh’s place at the last moment.
Several former and current cricketers have commented on the issue, and AB de Villiers has now added his voice.
The South African legend believes Bangladesh’s absence from the T20 World Cup is disappointing for cricket.
De Villiers runs a YouTube channel called ‘AB de Villiers 360’, where he shares expert opinions on cricket and also chats informally with star cricketers.
In a video posted on the channel two days ago, the 41-year-old legend spoke about Bangladesh not playing in the T20 World Cup.
A viewer asked de Villiers what he thought about Bangladesh not taking part in the T20 World Cup.
De Villiers replied that he did not want to take sides, saying it was a political issue and a personal matter for those involved.
He said he did not have enough information or understanding to comment in detail, but added that the situation should never reach a point where a team has to withdraw from a tournament.
He said it was disappointing and bad for the game, and such situations should never happen.
He later said he did not know who was in charge or who had taken the decisions, but those responsible should resolve the issue.
He added that he had spoken about this many times before and said he hated politics being mixed with cricket, which he believed had led to the situation. He described the matter as very unfortunate.
The 20-team T20 World Cup will begin on 7 February, with India and Sri Lanka as joint hosts. Scotland have been placed in Group C in Bangladesh’s slot.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) requested a change of venue from the ICC on 4 January, citing security concerns in India.
After a board meeting on 21 January, the ICC said Bangladesh would have to play in India as scheduled.
The ICC later informed the BCB on Saturday that Scotland would be included in the World Cup in Bangladesh’s place.
Earlier, the Indian cricket board removed Mustafizur from the IPL on 3 January following threats from extremist groups in India.
Raising questions about how India could ensure the safety of the Bangladesh team, supporters and journalists at the T20 World Cup if it could not guarantee the security of one player, the BCB demanded that Bangladesh’s matches be shifted to Sri Lanka, the tournament’s co-host.
However, in the ICC board meeting, a majority of member countries voted against changing the venue.