What is the ICC’s dispute resolution committee and why Bangladesh wants it to intervene in the T20 World Cup venue row

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have yet again written to the International Cricket Council (ICC) calling for the intervention of the independent dispute resolution committee of the global cricketing body. BCB wants their demands of venue change to be heard by this independent committee, as per a report in the Times of India.

The report says the latest letter was sent hours after Bangladeshi sports advisor Asif Nazrul on Thursday once again made it clear that his team will not travel to India even if it meant not playing in the T20 World Cup.

ICC has already stated its position that Bangladesh’s demands of shifting their matches from India to Sri Lanka are not possible. The board members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of replacing Bangladesh with another team in the tournament that starts February 7.

What is ICC’s dispute resolution committee?

ICC has an independent dispute resolution committee which aims to resolves disputes connected to international cricket. ICC, member boards, players, officials and related parties can all approach this committee once other internal options do not produce a satisfactory result.

According to the Times of India report, this committee’s job is to assess the lawfulness and interpretation of ICC decisions, regulations and contracts rather than act as a forum to hear appeals.

This committee is based in London and works under English laws. Also, its rulings are binding and final with almost no right to appeal.

Why BCB wants independent committee to hear its demands

The BCB is now hoping to further stretch the controversy by shooting off another letter to the global body. The board is now hoping for the intervention of the committee in what could be seen as a final attempt that could help them participate in the T20 World Cup on their terms.

BCB has maintained that the Bangladeshi team faces security threat in India and that is why it cannot send the players there and would only play the World Cup if their games are shifted to Sri Lanka, which is the co-host for the event.

With a lot of revenue at stake for BCB , the board is hoping to find a favourable solution at the hands of the committee after allegedly facing injustice from ICC.

However, ICC has stated that the body has not found any security threats in India and thus Bangladesh’s demands cannot be accepted. The global body has said that shifting Bangladesh’s matches “would carry significant logistical and scheduling consequences for other teams and fans worldwide, and would also create precedent-related challenges that risk undermining the neutrality, fairness and integrity of ICC governance.”