ICC declines Bangladesh request to move its T20 World Cup matches away from India

While the ICC hasn’t made any official comment on the issue, it is understood that they held an internal meeting on Tuesday and then conveyed their decision to Bangladesh (BCB)

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has denied the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to shift its upcoming T20 World Cup matches from India to Bangladesh. The Indian Express understands that during a virtual meeting with BCB officials late on Tuesday evening, the ICC said there are no inputs of security threats to any of the teams and that Bangladesh must play in India as per the Members Playing Agreement (MPA). It is understood that the BCB has sought time, and the ball is now in their court. The ICC, as things stand, is not coming up with any alternate schedule and a final decision is expected to be taken on Saturday.

On Sunday, a day after the BCCI ejected Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL), the BCB responded by putting in a formal request to the ICC asking for their World Cup matches in Kolkata and Mumbai to be moved to Sri Lanka, who are the co-hosts. While the ICC hasn’t made any official comment on the issue, it is understood that they held an internal meeting on Tuesday and then conveyed their decision to the BCB.

“As far as the ICC goes, there is no security threat in India, and the ICC has communicated this to the BCB. The ICC hasn’t received any inputs which say the security of the Bangladesh team is at risk in India. Under these circumstances, there is no reason to tweak the schedule and move the matches. There is very little time left. The BCB has been reminded of the MPA, and they have to decide now,” sources in the know told The Indian Express.

The impasse is likely to continue through the week, but the ICC seems to have informed the BCB that while it is open to discussions in the coming days, it won’t wait beyond Saturday. With ICC making its stance clear, it is understood that the BCB would have discussions with its government, which has taken a hard stand on the issue. Hours before the BCB put in a request to move the matches away from India, Asif Nazrul, the advisor for Youth and Sports in the Mohammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh, wrote on his Facebook page: “We won’t stand for any insult to Bangladesh’s cricket, cricketers and the country. The days of slavery are over. The Board should make it clear that where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite (being) contracted, the entire Bangladeshi cricket team cannot feel safe going to the World Cup. I have also instructed the board (BCB) to request its matches be held in Sri Lanka.”

Reports emerging from Bangladesh suggested that the ICC has informed the BCB that if they don’t send the team to India, they have to forfeit the points. However, such a scenario seems far-fetched at this stage, as in the case of Bangladesh refusing to turn up, a different team will be called in.

From the moment the Bangladesh government reacted strongly to Mustafizur’s expulsion from the IPL, the BCB was left with no choice but to make a request to move the matches away from India. The ICC, however, is understood to have informed the BCB that it is an issue between two boards (BCCI and BCB), and they can’t be dragged into it.