T20 World Cup
BCB writes to ICC again for venue change, calls for independent committee intervention
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had already made its final decision clear the day before yesterday, if Bangladesh want to play in the T20 World Cup, they must do so in India.
After that announcement, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sought 24 hours from the ICC to consult the government. However, Bangladesh’s position has remained unchanged. Due to security concerns, Bangladesh will not take part in this year’s T20 World Cup if the venue is not changed, this is now final.
Speaking to journalists Thursday afternoon following a meeting with World Cup squad members at the InterContinental Hotel, Youth and Sports Adviser Professor Asif Nazrul said, “There is no scope whatsoever for changing our decision.”
In other words, despite the ICC’s refusal to change the venue, Bangladesh remains firm in its stance that it will not travel to India to play T20 World Cup matches there.
Not only that, the BCB has once again informed the ICC of its firm position by sending another email on Thursday.
In the letter, the board requested the ICC to refer Bangladesh’s demand for a venue change to the ICC’s independent Dispute Resolution Committee. Any dispute related to ICC matters is resolved by this committee, which is made up of independent legal experts.
The BCB hopes the ICC will respond positively and send the venue-change request to the Dispute Resolution Committee.
However, since the ICC’s announcement the day before yesterday, it has made no further official comment on the issue. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also maintained silence on the issue from the outset.
When asked for their views, the players said that playing cricket is their responsibility as players. However, the government and the BCB are their guardians and whatever decision is taken by them, the players will support it.
According to Asif Nazrul, if the ICC ultimately refuses to change the venue, Bangladesh will not play in this year’s T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on 7 February in India and Sri Lanka.
All four of Bangladesh’s matches in the first round were scheduled to be held in two Indian cities, Kolkata and Mumbai.
The sports adviser explained to the players the circumstances under which the government decided not to send the team to India for the World Cup. The players reportedly understood the reasoning.
Although Asif Nazrul did not disclose details of the discussion to the media, it is understood that the players did not express any disagreement with the government’s decision.
When asked for their views, they said that playing cricket is their responsibility as players. However, the government and the BCB are their guardians and whatever decision is taken by them, the players will support it.
On 3 January, amid threats from extremist groups, the BCCI announced its decision to drop Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premiere League (IPL).
Following that incident, the Bangladesh Cricket Board stated that, due to security concerns, the Bangladesh team would not travel to India to play in the T20 World Cup. Asif Nazrul believes the security situation in India has not changed since then.
Meanwhile, BCB president Aminul Islam said Thuirsday that Bangladesh are ready to play in the World Cup but want their matches to be held in Sri Lanka. He also said they would continue to fight for this demand.
Requesting that the venue-change issue be referred to the conflict resolution committee is part of that effort, he added.
Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity on Thursday, a BCB official said, “We will continue to press our demand.”