The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday submitted its written response to the International Cricket Council (ICC) over security concerns it raised about sending the team to India for the ICC Men’s T20I World Cup, scheduled to be played in February, amid diplomatic tensions.
In a letter to the international cricket-governing body, the BCB said that it had addressed all queries raised by the ICC and provided supporting evidence, sources told Geo News.
The Bangladesh board also noted that the fears were not limited to the players, but the provision of visas to media officials, fans, and other stakeholders is also part of the concerns. BCB, in the letter, also cited the government's stance on the issue.
Bangladesh are currently scheduled to play their first three group-stage matches of the upcoming tournament in Kolkata, with their final group match set to be held in Mumbai.
The venues became contentious after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the IPL squad amid deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two countries, although no official reason was provided.
Following the incident, the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the country, and the BCB formally wrote to the ICC stating it would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India.
According to earlier reports by ESPNcricinfo, the ICC had rejected Bangladesh’s request to move their T20 World Cup matches out of India due to security concerns and had warned that the team would need to travel to India or risk losing points.
After discussions with the ICC on Tuesday, the BCB issued a statement a day earlier denying reports that it had received an ultimatum and confirmed it would continue “constructive engagement” to resolve the matter.
The ICC, the statement said, reaffirmed its commitment to the “full and uninterrupted participation” of Bangladesh in the tournament and conveyed its willingness to work closely with the BCB to address the concerns raised.
The ICC also assured the BCB that its inputs would be welcomed and duly considered as part of the detailed security planning for the event.
“The BCB categorically states that such claims are completely false, unfounded and do not reflect the nature or content of the communication received from the ICC,” the board said, referring to reports suggesting that it had been issued an ultimatum.
