New Delhi: Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam Bulbul on Thursday said his team would not travel to India for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, asserting that Bangladesh wanted to participate in the tournament but not on Indian soil.
Bulbul’s remarks come despite the International Cricket Council rejecting Bangladesh’s request to shift its matches out of India. The BCB chief said the board remained firm on its stand.
“We want to play the World Cup, but not in India,” Bulbul said, citing concerns over recent developments, including the exclusion of Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League, and what he described as India’s approach towards minority-related issues.
Bangladesh government’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul also criticised the ICC, saying the council had failed to adequately address Bangladesh’s security concerns. He said Dhaka had sought relocation of Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on February 7, with Bangladesh’s opening match slated against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, the BCB’s firm stance and rising tensions between Bangladesh and India have now cast uncertainty over the team’s participation in the tournament.
The ICC has not issued any fresh statement following the BCB president’s comments.
