Bangladesh to ‘work with ICC’ on T20 World Cup security concerns in India

Bangladesh’s cricket authorities and the International Cricket Council (ICC) have partnered to “work closely” together to address security concerns regarding their nation’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup in India.

Three days after declaring that its men’s team would not travel to the neighboring nation, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) stated in a statement on Wednesday that it would work with the tournament’s organizers to ensure the nation’s participation.

The ICC has assured that the board’s suggestions will be taken into account as part of the detailed security planning for the event and that it has expressed its willingness to work closely with the BCB to address the concerns, according to the BCB’s statement.

The BCB will continue to work cooperatively and professionally with the ICC and relevant event authorities to reach a mutually beneficial and practical agreement that will enable the team’s smooth and successful participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the statement continued.

In response to Bangladesh’s request for a change of venue for its games, the sport’s governing body and the BCB reportedly held a virtual meeting on Tuesday.

The 20-team tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka starting on February 7, but all of Bangladesh’s group games were hosted by Indian hosts.

Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India was the result of a recent controversy, when its star fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was fired by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders at the board’s direction.

Cricket fans and Bangladeshi administrators reacted in outcry, urging the BCB to take reciprocal action. In response, the BCB requested that its team’s travel to Sri Lanka be canceled due to security concerns.

With the opening match between Bangladesh and the ICC just over a month away and the ICC under the direction of former BCCI chief Jay Shah, the ICC and BCB arranged a call to discuss the matter.

The ICC informed the BCB during the meeting that Bangladesh would need to travel to India in order to avoid losing points, according to a report on ESPNCricinfo.

The BCB, however, refuted the report and called its assertions “completely false.”

The BCB has taken note of certain reports that appeared in media reports that suggested the board had received an ultimatum. According to the statement, “These claims are completely false, unfounded, and do not reflect the nature or content of the communication received from the ICC.”

The interim government of Bangladesh also prohibited the broadcast of the IPL, claiming that the unjustly humiliating dumping of a “star player defied logic” and “hurt people”

The latest climax of a growing conflict between neighboring India, which has now spanned both countries’ cricket ties.

A 25-year-old Hindu man was lynched and burned publicly in Bangladesh in response to accusations of blasphemy, which has caused tensions to flare in recent weeks.

As Hindutva activists staged a demonstration in New Delhi to protest the neighboring country’s failure to protect its Hindu minorities, they stormed the Bangladesh High Commission.

Since August last year, when former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi from Dhaka after an uprising against her rule, diplomatic relations between the once-close allies have been severely hampered.