The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Thursday affirmed its decision not to send its national cricket team for the T20 World Cup in India, starting next month. With the International Cricket Board (ICC) rejecting Bangladesh's Board's request to change venue, Scotland is likely to take Bangladesh's place in the series.
The Bangladesh Board was served an ultimatum by the ICC on Wednesday to either agree to travel to India or risk being replaced as there was no credible threat to the safety of their players, officials or fans there. The ICC granted Bangladesh time till Thursday to make its decision.
VIDEO | Dhaka: Bangladesh decides to boycott ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul says, “We are always in touch with our players. We have our own cricket board and our own ministry. Let me clearly state that the decision not to play the World Cup in India,… pic.twitter.com/qEeV6HfoEb
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After a meeting with Bangladesh national team players, the nation's sports advisor, Asif Nazrul, announced that the ICC's assessment was not acceptable to them. Scotland is next in line based on team rankings for the tournament starting February 7.
"While our cricketers have worked hard to qualify for the World Cup, the security risk regarding playing in India remains unchanged. This concern is not based on abstract analysis," Nazrul told reporters announcing their decision not play in India. "We are not convinced that they can ensure the safety of our entire team, journalists, and spectators," he said.
"We are not giving up hope yet; our team is ready. We expect the ICC to provide justice by considering our genuine security risks and allowing us to play in Sri Lanka," he added.
As per the schedule, Bangladesh are due to play four games in India (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai). Dhaka raised security concerns after pacer Mustafizur Rahman was ousted from the IPL on BCCI's instructions for unspecified "developments all around."
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"It is crucial to weigh the loss of not playing against the potential catastrophe of pushing players, fans, and journalists into a risky regional political situation. This is a government decision, as the state is responsible for determining whether its citizens face security risks abroad," the sports advisor asserted.
The ICC, refusing to accept Bangladesh's concerns, said it was repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a "single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its player's involvement in a domestic league."
"In the absence of any independent security findings that materially compromise the safety of the Bangladesh team, the ICC is unable to relocate fixtures," the international board had said. It added, "Doing so would carry significant logistical and scheduling consequences for other teams and fans worldwide, and would also create far-reaching precedent-related challenges that risk undermining the neutrality, fairness, and integrity of ICC governance."
