ICC has not set a deadline for decision on playing T20 World Cup in India: BCB
The question has changed. Earlier, it was whether the Bangladesh team would travel to India to play in this year’s T20 World Cup. Now, the question has become this: will Bangladesh play in the T20 World Cup at all?
The shift stems from a report published late the night before last by cricket news website ESPNcricinfo and news agency AFP.
The report claimed that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) must inform the ICC by next Wednesday whether Bangladesh would travel to India to play the World Cup. It also said an ICC source had indicated that if Bangladesh chose not to go to India, Scotland would be given their place.
The report sparked widespread discussion in cricket circles throughout on Monday. Amid that debate, the BCB dismissed the cricinfo–AFP report yesterday afternoon, calling it incorrect.
According to the BCB, the ICC has not set any deadline on the matter.
BCB media committee chairman Amzad Hossain said at a brief press conference that after meetings with the BCB, ICC representatives had told them they would return and brief the ICC, after which a final decision would be taken.
Speaking to newspersons on Monday, Amzad Hossain said, “They did not mention any specific date or timeframe. They only said they would let us know when the next date would be.”
There was no opportunity for questions at the press conference. The BCB media committee chairman finished his remarks in less than a minute and left. No one else involved with the BCB is willing to speak publicly on the issue.
However, sources say there is in fact no question of setting a deadline, because the BCB remains firm in its earlier decision to play World Cup matches in Sri Lanka rather than India due to security concerns.
Initially, the ICC tried to persuade the BCB to agree to travel to India through an online meeting. Later, on Friday, the ICC sent a representative to Dhaka. In both the online and in-person meetings, the BCB reiterated the same position.
After Saturday’s meeting, there was nothing new for the BCB to convey. Now it is up to the ICC alone to decide whether Bangladesh’s matches can be relocated. If not, there is no possibility of Bangladesh participating in the World Cup.
This uncertainty over World Cup participation has already caused frustration among BCB officials. At Saturday’s meeting, the BCB also proposed a group reshuffle—moving Bangladesh from Group C to Group B in place of Ireland.
However, the Ireland Cricket Board did not agree. Even after personal outreach by BCB president Aminul Islam, no positive response was received.
Bangladesh’s last hope was support from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Various sources say the BCB has indeed received that support. The PCB is reportedly of the view that if Bangladesh’s matches are not moved from India, Pakistan could also boycott the tournament.
But whether Pakistan will ultimately stick to that stance remains uncertain. All things considered, Bangladesh’s participation in this year’s T20 World Cup remains in doubt.