 "The ICC had said on Saturday that despite multiple meetings, the y couldn't convince the BCB to play in India. Image: PTI")
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday said it had accepted the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in next month’s T20 World Cup. The BCB has clearly stated that there is nothing more it could do now.
The ICC confirmed on Saturday that Scotland will take Bangladesh’s place in the T20 World Cup, which will be jointly held in India and Sri Lanka. The late change came after Bangladesh maintained that it was unsafe for their players to travel to India, and kept insisting on moving their games to Sri Lanka.
However, the ICC denied BCB’s request and gave them an ultimatum to accept the original schedule or face exclusion. After the BCB failed to respond within the stipulated time, the ICC decided to replace Bangladesh with Scotland, who had missed out on qualification this year.
BCB media committee chairman Amjad Hossain said the Board tried its best to convince the ICC but knew the decision would not be changed. “We have tried our best. We fully respect the ICC Board, and the Board’s majority decision was that the match cannot be relocated,” he said.
BCB will not stretch the issue further
Hossain added, “Even after that, we tried in our own way and made requests. Since they will not do it or do not want to, there is nothing more we can do. We have accepted the ICC Board’s decision, as the ICC has said that we will not be able to go and play, nor can our match be shifted to Sri Lanka.”
He also indicated that the BCB might not pursue “any separate arbitration or any other process” on the matter. “In this case, we cannot go to India to play, and our stance remains the same. We are not going into any separate arbitration or any other process here,” Hossain said.
Hossain explained that the government had advised against traveling to India, saying it would not be safe for players, journalists, or anyone accompanying the team. “In that case, we requested that our match be shifted to Sri Lanka. However, the ICC did not agree to that, even after several rounds of meetings. Since the ICC did not respond, there is not much we can do because this is the government’s decision."
“Due to security concerns, playing in India is not safe for us, and that is why this decision has been taken,” Hossain added.