 "The Bangladesh Cricket Board has refused to send the Litton Das-led squad to India for the T20 World Cup owing to 'safety and security' concerns. Reuters")
Despite facing the threat of being replaced by Scotland, Bangladesh refuses to budge from its stance of not traveling to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup amid its ongoing standoff with the International Cricket Council.
The Dubai-based governing body, currently led by former BCCI secretary Jay Shah, has set a deadline of Wednesday, 21 January to take a final call on Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup, giving the BCB time to change their mind until then.
Bangladesh will not accept ICC bowing to pressure from BCCI, says Nazrul
The latest developments, however, haven’t changed a thing for Asif Nazrul, sports advisor to the interim Muhammad Yunus-led government in Bangladesh, who described the ICC’s deadline as “unreasonable conditions” while adding that their last-minute demand for a venue change is a “logical” one.
“I am not aware that Scotland will be included in our place (in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup). If the ICC bows to pressure from the Indian Cricket Board and tries to impose pressure on us by setting unreasonable conditions, we will not accept those conditions,” Asif told reporters on Tuesday.
“In the past there are examples that Pakistan said that they will not travel to India and ICC changed the venue. We have asked to change the venue on logical ground and we cannot be pressurised to play in India by putting illogical pressure,” he added.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board had refused to send the Litton Das-led squad to India for the T20 World Cup earlier this month citing concerns pertaining to “safety and security” of their players, support staff and other personnel. They have, instead, asked for their group-stage fixtures and subsequent games to be moved to entirely to Sri Lanka – or to Pakistan or the United Arab Emirates, so long as they get to play outside India.
The ICC, however, has consistently shot down BCB’s demand , having found no credible security threat to the Bangladesh contingent in India in the independent security assessments that have been conducted in the build-up to the tournament.
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View AllThe BCB had also suggested swapping groups with Ireland (Group B), who play all of their group matches in Sri Lanka. Cricket Ireland, however, has since shot down the suggestion and insisted they want to stick to the schedule that has already been released by the ICC.
Bangladesh are placed in Group C along with two-time champions England and West Indies as well as Nepal and debutants Italy. As per the schedule released by the ICC in November, the Bangla Tigers play their group matches at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium between 7 to 17 February.
The announcement was seen as retaliation for left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s abrupt release from the Indian Premier League, where he had been bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders, amid strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka.