DHAKA: Bangladesh’s sports adviser, Asif Nazrul, on Tuesday reaffirmed that the national cricket team will not travel to India for the T20 World Cup, despite the International Cricket Council (ICC) setting a January 21 deadline for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to confirm its participation, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).
Nazrul stated that Bangladesh would not accept unreasonable conditions from the ICC. “If the ICC bows to pressure from the Indian cricket board and tries to impose unfair conditions, we will not accept them,” he said. “We have requested a venue change on logical grounds and cannot be pressured to play in India through illogical demands. There are past examples, such as Pakistan, where ICC changed the venue when the team refused to travel to India.”
The dispute escalated after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL roster this year, reportedly on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) citing unspecified “developments all around.” In response, the BCB announced that its national team would not travel to India for group-stage matches in Kolkata and Mumbai, citing security concerns and national pride.
BCB has proposed playing all four of its group-stage matches in Sri Lanka, where the marquee India-Pakistan clash is also scheduled, as part of the ICC’s mutually agreed hosting arrangements through 2027. Bangladesh is currently in Group C alongside West Indies, Italy, England, and Nepal, and has suggested swapping positions with Ireland in Group B to remain in Sri Lanka for the entire group stage.
While the BCB views travel to India as unsafe, the ICC’s risk assessment reportedly did not identify any direct or specific threat to Bangladesh’s participation.
Tensions between India and Bangladesh have worsened in recent months, particularly following reports of killings of Hindus in Bangladesh. Former captain Tamim Iqbal and current Test skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto have urged caution, warning that overly rigid decisions could have repercussions for years to come.
