New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to change venues for the T20 World Cup, according to Indian media reports. The reports claimed that ICC made it clear Bangladesh must play all its league matches in India or risk losing points.
However, the BCB issued a statement on Wednesday rejecting these reports. The board said ICC is willing to work with Bangladesh to address its concerns regarding the T20 World Cup to be held in India. It added that ICC is committed to ensuring Bangladesh’s full and uninterrupted participation in the tournament.
Later in the evening, BCB president Aminul Islam and Bangladesh government’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul addressed a press conference. Aminul Islam referred to the India-Pakistan hybrid model under which the two teams play ICC tournament matches against each other in a third country.
Calling player safety the biggest concern, Islam said a similar arrangement should be considered for Bangladesh’s matches. He said that during the Champions Trophy the Indian team did not travel to Pakistan and in the previous World Cup Pakistan did not come to India. He added that Bangladesh hopes to present its arguments strongly.
Sports adviser Asif Nazrul said Bangladesh will explain to ICC that the environment in India is not suitable for them to play. He said they would present strong arguments before ICC, stressing that Bangladesh will not compromise on the safety, respect and dignity of its players while still wanting to participate in the World Cup.
Background of the dispute:
The controversy began on December 16 when Kolkata Knight Riders bought Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman for ₹9.20 crore at the IPL mini auction. Following reports of killings of Hindus in Bangladesh, protests against Mustafizur emerged in India. Reports claimed six Hindus were killed. Subsequently, the BCCI did not allow Mustafizur to play in the IPL and on January 3 KKR released him from the squad.
