Suppose you are planning to travel from Dhanmondi to an office in Motijheel, but you are unsure whether it is wise to go. You have heard that there has been unrest in Motijheel. Rainwater from the morning downpour is said to have still not drained from around Shapla Chattar. Traffic congestion on the roads is severe.
You call the office in Motijheel and inform them, “I hear the situation on your side is not good. I won’t be coming today.” They respond by saying that there is no problem in Motijheel and that everything is normal.
Yet doubts linger in your mind. To reassure you, they assign someone to go out and assess the situation on the ground. He will check whether there is indeed any disturbance in Motijheel, whether water is actually standing on the roads, and what the real conditions are like.
After observing everything firsthand, he will report back to the office, which will then inform you: this is the actual situation. Armed with that information, you will make the final decision on whether to go to Motijheel or not.
This is a special measure taken by the office to reassure you in a particular situation. It may also be the case that you have such an arrangement with the office as a standing condition: before you travel to Motijheel, they will always have a third party assess the situation and brief you. Only then will you decide whether to go, or advise the office on what measures are necessary to ensure your safe journey.
An internal threat assessment report merely outlines the security situation in the host country; it does not state what should or should not be done in response to that situation.
In the context of the situation that has arisen ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, you represent Bangladesh and all other cricket boards participating in the tournament; the office in Motijheel represents the ICC; and the person tasked with assessing the situation on the ground represents the ICC’s independent security analysis team.
Before any ICC event, it is this security analysis team that reviews the security situation in the host country and prepares what is known as an internal threat assessment report.
From this report, participating boards gain an understanding of how safe their teams are likely to be in the host nation and make decisions accordingly.
Sometimes that decision is not to travel at all; at other times, boards inform the organisers that “security needs to be enhanced in these specific areas.” In some cases, even ahead of bilateral series, a touring country sends such a security assessment team to the host nation.
An internal threat assessment report merely outlines the security situation in the host country; it does not state what should or should not be done in response to that situation.
Taking decisions on the basis of the report is the responsibility of the respective boards.
Just as the report does not tell Bangladesh to go to India despite these risks, it also does not say that travelling there would be inappropriate. Making such decisions does not fall within the authority of an independent security analysis team.
In the internal threat assessment report prepared by the ICC’s security department ahead of the T20 World Cup, which is now the subject of intense public discussion, there is no statement that Bangladesh must travel to India without pacer Mustafizur Rahman due to security risks.
Regarding Mustafizur, the report simply offers an assessment: since the controversy began with his removal from the Indian Premier League (IPL), his presence could potentially become a security-related issue.
The same applies to two other observations made in the report. First, Bangladeshi spectators travelling to India to watch World Cup matches could face problems if they move around wearing Bangladesh jerseys. Second, as Bangladesh’s national election draws closer, tensions involving Bangladesh may increase in India, and that such tensions could spill over onto the Bangladeshi team if they are present there.
Just as the report does not tell Bangladesh to go to India despite these risks, it also does not say that travelling there would be inappropriate. Making such decisions does not fall within the authority of an independent security analysis team.
However, where such risks clearly exist, choosing not to travel to play is a reasonable position. Youth and sports adviser Asif Nazrul reiterated this point on Monday.
“The statement from the ICC’s security team has unequivocally demonstrated that there is no environment whatsoever in which the Bangladesh cricket team can play in India during the T20 World Cup,” he said.
It would also be a mistake to interpret the ICC’s independent security analysis team’s internal threat assessment report as a response or formal position from the ICC regarding Bangladesh’s demand for a change of venue.
It is also worth noting that the internal threat assessment report on India’s security situation for the World Cup was prepared by an independent security analysis team appointed by the ICC.
Such teams typically include ICC security specialists alongside representatives from various security agencies of the host country. At times, international security agencies are also involved.
Therefore, it is hardly surprising that Indian security agencies may share concerns regarding the three scenarios cited by the sports adviser, based on a letter from the ICC’s security department, as circumstances under which security risks to the Bangladesh team could increase during the T20 World Cup.
It would also be a mistake to interpret the ICC’s independent security analysis team’s internal threat assessment report as a response or formal position from the ICC regarding Bangladesh’s demand for a change of venue.
Even if the current complexities surrounding Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the IPL had not arisen, ICC regulations require that such a report on the host country’s security situation be shared with all boards. If there were specific security issues of concern to any country, those would be highlighted.
This was precisely the explanation the Bangladesh Cricket Board gave in its clarification regarding the World Cup security report on Monday.
The report is essentially part of internal communication between the ICC’s security department and the BCB, providing an assessment of potential security risks for the Bangladesh team ahead of the World Cup. It is not an official response from the ICC to the BCB’s request to stage Bangladesh’s World Cup matches outside India.
No formal response from the ICC on that matter has yet been received.