Bangladesh seeks shift of World Cup matches to Sri Lanka over safety concerns

Kolkata: Bangladesh’s youth and sports adviser on Saturday said he had instructed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to seek the shifting of the country’s T20 World Cup league games to Sri Lanka, citing safety concerns, after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directed the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman.

The Shah Rukh Khan co-owned IPL franchise KKR had bought Rahman for ₹9.20 crore after a bidding war at last month’s auction in Abu Dhabi. Bangladesh are scheduled to play four World Cup matches in India — three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.

“I have asked the BCB to explain the entire matter to the ICC,” Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh’s youth and sports adviser, wrote on his official Facebook page.

“The board should inform that where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladeshi cricket team cannot feel safe going to play in the World Cup. I have also instructed the board to request that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka.”

Nazrul also said he had requested the country’s information and broadcasting ministry to stop broadcasting the IPL in Bangladesh. An emergency meeting was convened in Dhaka at 9.30 pm on Saturday night, after which the BCB decided to write to the ICC and the BCCI.

BCB president and former captain Aminul Islam Bulbul has not commented officially, though reports suggest that the ICC will be asked to give clarity on security arrangements for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on February 7.

The BCB will also write to the BCCI seeking a formal explanation for Rahman’s release. As expected, the decision has not gone down well with both the BCB and the political leadership.

On Saturday night, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Bangladesh’s adviser on cultural affairs, wrote in a Facebook post, “What happened with Mustafizur in the IPL is despicable. Bangladeshi citizens have witnessed the politics of hatred in this incident and are deeply saddened.

“As you know, the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already expressed concern about the persecution of minority communities in India over the past few days. The relevant authorities will surely investigate whether this incident is also driven by the same motive. The safety of our cricket or football teams there in the future will also surely be considered.”