Will Bangladesh have to play at 2 Indian venues? BCCI says ICC yet to communicate anything

The secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Devajit Saikia, has said the International Cricket Council (ICC) has not yet provided any updated information regarding a possible change of venues for Bangladesh’s matches in the ICC T20 World Cup.

According to him, this is a matter to be discussed between the ICC, as the sport’s governing body, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

Bangladesh has maintained a firm stance on not travelling to India to play the T20 World Cup matches due to security concerns.

The BCB has already conveyed its position to the ICC through a second letter. In a press release BCB issued on 7 January, it was stated that, in response, the ICC had reiterated its commitment to ensuring the Bangladesh team’s full and uninterrupted participation in the T20 World Cup.

Indian media outlets reported today, Monday, that the ICC may propose that Bangladesh play its matches not in Sri Lanka, but at two alternative venues within India itself.

The BCB had requested the ICC to move Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches out of India and organise them in Sri Lanka. However, with less than a month remaining before the tournament begins, it is widely believed that relocating Bangladesh’s matches elsewhere would not be logistically possible at such short notice.

According to Indian media reports, the ICC is considering Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram as alternative venues for Bangladesh’s matches.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, however, has stated that they have received no instructions or information from the ICC on this matter.

Speaking to the Indian news agency IANS, Saikia said, “We have not received any message so far regarding moving Bangladesh’s matches to Chennai or anywhere else, and this is beyond our control. This is an issue between the BCB and the ICC, because the ICC is the governing body.”

“If the ICC communicates any decision regarding a change of venue, the BCCI, as the host, will take the necessary steps. At present, we have no information on this,” he added.

The T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is scheduled to begin on 7 February. Under the current fixture list, all four of Bangladesh’s Group C matches are to be played in India, the first three in Kolkata and the final match in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, at a press conference held today at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) headquarters, Bangladesh’s adviser for Youth and Sports, Asif Nazrul, said that the BCB had recently received a letter from the ICC’s security department outlining the types of security risks Bangladesh could face if the team travelled to India.

The letter reportedly cited three reasons why Bangladesh team’s security risk could increase during the T20 World Cup in India: the inclusion of left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman in the World Cup squad, Bangladeshi supporters moving around wearing the national team jersey, and the approach of Bangladesh’s national elections, which could further heighten security risks.

The youth and sports adviser described the ICC’s claims as “bizarre” and “unjustified”.

BCB President Aminul Islam had earlier also remarked that alternative venues within India would still amount to playing in India.

The BCB’s concerns over security in India for the T20 World Cup were triggered by the incident on 3 January, when Mustafizur Rahman was withdrawn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) following threats from extremists.

Bangladesh subsequently questioned how the safety of the entire national team, as well as journalists, sponsors and spectators travelling to cover the World Cup, could be ensured if even Mustafizur’s individual security could not be guaranteed, and formally requested the ICC to move Bangladesh’s matches out of India.