Bangladesh remains firm on not participating in the T20 World Cup in India.
Today, after meeting with the BCB delegation, Youth and Sports Adviser Professor Asif Nazrul told reporters this.
The sports adviser said, “The situation in India is not safe enough to play. We will not compromise on Bangladesh’s dignity. We want to play in another host country, Sri Lanka. We will not compromise on Bangladesh’s honour and prestige. We do not want to play the World Cup at the cost of our country’s dignity.”
Earlier, the BCB had written to the ICC, expressing concerns over the safety of players and other personnel traveling from Bangladesh to India for the World Cup. In the letter, they requested that Bangladesh’s matches be hosted in another country.
In response to BCB’s email, the ICC on Tuesday sent a reply stating that there is no reason for the kind of security concerns Bangladesh has raised regarding India. The ICC assured in the email that all necessary measures would be taken to ensure the safety of the Bangladesh team in India.
The email also stated that once the full security plan for the World Cup is finalised, it will be shared with BCB along with the other boards as per the rules. At that time, if BCB has any observations or suggestions, they can communicate them, and the ICC will take action accordingly.
However, Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul was not satisfied with the ICC’s statement. He said, “After reading the letter we received from the ICC today, Wednesday, it seems to us that they have not fully realised the serious security issue facing Bangladesh’s cricketers in India. I feel this is not just a security issue—it is an issue of national humiliation. In any case, we are focusing primarily on the security concern.”
Referring to the decision to exclude Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL by the BCCI, Professor Asif Nazrul said that it proves there is no safe environment to play in India. He stated, “I do not want to comment on India’s bigger picture or the communal situation there. But when it comes to the safety of our cricketers, the security of Bangladesh, and the country’s dignity, we will not compromise. We want to play cricket, we want to play the World Cup, and we want to play it in another host country, Sri Lanka.”
Professor Asif Nazrul said that BCB will email the ICC again today, Wednesday or tomorrow, Thursday, requesting a change of venue. He added, “We hope to make the ICC understand our position, and we trust that the ICC will consider our arguments impartially and give us the opportunity to play in the T20 World Cup—a tournament we have worked so hard to qualify for. Our first priority is to make the ICC understand. We have very strong arguments, and we will present them clearly.”
The sports adviser said that the basis of their firm stance is the safety, honour, and dignity of Bangladesh, which they are unwilling to compromise. However, he emphasised, “We do want to play the Cricket World Cup. After that, we will assess the situation and make further decisions. For now, our position is clear: we will explain to the ICC that the environment in India is not suitable for us to play.”
In the meeting with the Sports Adviser, BCB President Aminul Islam, two vice presidents Faruk Ahmed and Sakhawat Hossain, Director of Cricket Operations Nazmul Abedin, and several other board directors were present.
Speaking about the meeting, BCB President Aminul said, “Beyond the players, there is a large group of people—our journalists, cricket sponsors, and fans—many of whom will attend the matches. The cricket board alone cannot ensure all aspects of security. That is why we follow government directives. For any foreign tour, we need a Government Order (GO). We came to understand the status of that order. Now we know that if the security situation does not improve, we will continue to fight for our rights.”
Referring to past incidents in international cricket, he added, “There have been many instances where matches were moved to other countries due to security concerns. As you know, the Hybrid World Cup is primarily being held elsewhere because of security. We hope that we will be able to present our arguments effectively.”