Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to swap their group so that they can take part in the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.
The ICC delegation arrived in Dhaka on Saturday to sit with BCB in an effort to break the impasse over Bangladesh's participation in the T20 World Cup.
The senior ICC representatives had discussions with the BCB on the issue that has remained unresolved since Bangladesh took the extreme position demanding relocation of their matches out of India in the 7 February-8 March tournament.
Bangladesh's participation remains in question after BCB asked ICC to relocate their venues from India to co-hosts Sri Lanka citing security reason after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had directed Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur Rahman from their squad due to the prevailing political tensions between the two nations.
BCB made the offer of swapping the group during a meeting with representatives of world cricket’s regulatory body that included an ICC official who joined through zoom, Daily Sun reported.
BCB requested that they should replace Ireland in Group B so that they can play all their group matches in Sri Lanka.
Ireland are scheduled to take on Sri Lanka, Australia and Oman in Colombo on 8, 11 and 14 February, while their last group match is slated for Kandy, against Zimbabwe on 17 February.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play three out of their four group stage fixtures in Kolkata on 7, 9 and 14 February against the West Indies, Italy and England before travelling to Mumbai for their final clash against Nepal.
“During the discussions, the BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka. The board also shared the Bangladesh government’s views and concerns on safety and security of the team, Bangladeshi fans, media and other stakeholders,” BCB said in a statement.
“The discussions were conducted in a constructive, cordial and professional manner, with all parties engaging openly on the relevant issues. Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed. The BCB and the ICC have agreed to continue engaging in constructive dialogue on this matter,” it added.
The ICC delegation was represented by Gaurav Saxena, General Manager, Events and Corporate Communications, and Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager, Integrity Unit. Saxena was unable to attend the meeting in person as his visa was received later than anticipated and therefore joined the discussions virtually. Ephgrave attended the meeting in person.
From the BCB’s side President Aminul Islam Bulbul, Vice Presidents Shakhawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, Director and Chairman of the Cricket Operations Committee Nazmul Abedeen Fahim and Chief Executive Officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.
bd-pratidin/GR
