BCB reportedly suggests Bangladesh-Ireland group swap to ICC amid T20 World Cup venue drama; Cricket Ireland responds

The controversy involving Bangladesh’s venues for the upcoming T20 World Cup refuses to die down anytime soon with the Bangladesh Cricket Board now asking the International Cricket Council to swap their group with that of Ireland.

Bangladesh are placed in Group C along with two-time champions England and West Indies as well as neighbours Nepal and debutants Italy, and the Litton Das-led squad play their matches at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

Ireland, on the other hand, are placed in Group B along with former champions Australia and Sri Lanka as well as Zimbabwe and Oman. The Paul Stirling-led side are scheduled to play all of their matches in Sri Lanka – at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium and Sinhalese Sports Club and at the Pallekele International Stadium.

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BCB hopeful of a Bangladesh-Ireland group swap

And since the BCB had earlier refused to send the Bangladesh cricket team to India citing “safety and security” concerns, they are hopeful that a direct swap with Ireland will allow the Bangla Tigers to play all of their matches outside India without causing major changes in ICC’s existing schedule.

According to a report on Cricbuzz, the BCB had made the offer during a meeting with the ICC’s representatives in Dhaka on Saturday. Later in the evening, the Bangladeshi board released a statement which stated that the discussions with the Dubai-based governing body were conducted in a “constructive, cordial and professional manner”.

“The BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka. The Board also shared the Bangladesh Government’s views and concerns on safety and security of the team, Bangladeshi fans, media and other stakeholders,” read the board’s statement.

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“The discussions were conducted in a constructive, cordial and professional manner, with all parties engaging openly on the relevant issues. Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” it added.

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The ICC delegation in Dhaka comprised Gaurav Saxena, General Manager, Events and Corporate Communications and Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager, Integrity Unit – the former attending it virtually.

From the BCB, president Aminul Islam Bulbul was present along with vice-presidents Md Shakawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, Director and Chairman of the Cricket Operations Committee Nazmul Abedeen and CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.

Cricket Ireland turns down BCB’s offer

The BCB’s offer, however, is unlikely to be accepted, and even the ICC – currently led by former BCCI secretary Jay Shah – might not have much of a role to play on this front. Cricket Ireland, after all have responded to the Bangladeshi board’s offer in the negative, intending to continue with groupings and schedule that was unveiled by the ICC in November.

“We’ve received definitive assurances that we won’t move from the original schedule. We’re definitely playing the Group Stage in Sri Lanka,” a CI official was quoted by Cricbuzz as saying.

The ICC too has expressed reluctance in accepting the BCB demand for their venues to be moved out of India, especially since they had found “no credible threat” for the Bangladeshi contingent in India as per assessments carried out by security experts ahead of the tournament.

BCB had refused to send their senior men’s cricket team to India for the T20 World Cup in a retaliatory move earlier this month after left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from Kolkata Knight Riders' squad on the insistence of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Mustafizur had been bought by the franchise co-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for Rs 9.2 crore in the IPL auction last month, but was ultimately released by the three-time champions following protests in India.

In addition to refusing to send their team to India, Bangladesh also revoked Mustafizur’s No Objection Certificate for the IPL and also banned telecast of the world’s biggest T20 league within its country.