'Hold it in Pakistan, no problem': Bangladesh government official responds to PCB's T20 World Cup offer

Amid strained relations between India and Bangladesh – at the diplomatic level as well as in cricket – a top Bangladeshi government official has claimed they would have no problem sending their senior men’s team to Pakistan, or to the UAE, for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board had earlier refused to send the Litton Das-led squad to India, who are co-hosting the World Cup with Sri Lanka from 7 February to 8 March, citing “security and safety” concerns.

This was widely seen as retaliation against Mustafizur Rahman being dumped from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad on the orders of the Board of Control for Cricket in India after the left-arm pacer’s acquisition for Rs 9.2 crore sparked furore in India.

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The Pakistan Cricket Board, led by the country’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, later added fuel to the fire by offering to host Bangladesh's group matches on its turf.

The International Cricket Council, meanwhile, has yet to accept Bangladesh’s demand of moving their group-stage fixtures – which are scheduled to take place in Kolkata and Mumbai - out of India entirely, and has offered alternate venues in southern India.

The Dubai based-governing body for the sport had even set an ultimatum for the BCB to either play their games in India or forfeit points with their qualification for the Super 8s and the subsequent knockouts on the line.

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Not only has Asif Nazrul, Sports Advisor to the Muhammad Yunus-led interim Bangladesh government, reacted negatively to ICC’s alternatives for Bangladesh’s World Cup venues, reiterating that the Bangla Tigers are open to playing anywhere except India.

“I already said India means India. We are talking about India; we did not say Kolkata. So our position is, if you change it from Kolkata and give another venue – Sri Lanka can be given, no problem,” Nazrul told reporters at the Bangladesh Football Federation’s headquarters in Dhaka on Monday.

“I saw in the newspapers, I do not know whether it is true or false, that Pakistan has offered to host our tournaments. Hold it in Pakistan, no problem. Hold it in the United Arab Emirates, no problem,” he added.

Nazrul urges ICC to be a ‘global organisation’

Nazrul, who is also the country’s law advisor and is know for being anti-India and pro-Pakistani in his views, further reiterated the BCB’s original stance of refusing to compromise on their safety and security while urging the ICC to act like a “global organisation” and not one that functions as per India’s commands.

“If the ICC truly wants to be a global organization, and if the ICC does not rise and sit at India’s command, then we must be given the opportunity to play in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

“We will not make any compromise on this issue and when there is no playing environment for one of our team’s players, and the national cricket board of India, a national authority, bows its head to these aggressive communal forces and says that he should not be allowed to play here – what bigger proof does the ICC need, I do not understand,” he added.

Bangladesh are placed in Group C alongside two-time champions England and West Indies as well as Nepal and debutants Italy. They play three of their four group fixtures at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and later face Nepal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.