Bangladesh has announced that they will not be traveling to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup due to ongoing security concerns. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is preparing to submit a final representation to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
In a press conference in Dhaka, BCB president Aminul Islam confirmed that Bangladesh would not participate in the tournament in India, as reported by Hindustan Times. He mentioned that the board plans to approach the ICC once more on Thursday in hopes of resolving the issues.
Bangladesh’s sports advisor Asif Nazrul expressed optimism that the ICC might reconsider its position and permit Bangladesh to host their matches in Sri Lanka.
“We expect the ICC to deliver justice by allowing us to play in Sri Lanka,” Nazrul stated, as reported by PTI.
Reaffirming the board’s stance, Nazrul pointed out ongoing security concerns for Bangladeshi players and officials in India.
“We all want to participate in the World Cup. However, the security issues for our players and team in India persist. It began with one player being removed from their team. The ICC can assert that there are no security concerns, but one of our players was ejected from their tournament. This country is hosting the World Cup. What has changed since then? If Mustafizur cannot be guaranteed security, how can we trust that the ICC will ensure our safety? We wish to compete in the World Cup, but not in India,” he told reporters.
The ICC has yet to respond officially to Bangladesh’s recent request.
