The International Cricket Council (ICC) has informed Bangladesh that the team must play its T20 World Cup matches in India next month or face exclusion from the tournament, according to multiple media reports on Monday.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had requested that the matches be relocated to Sri Lanka citing security concerns.
The BCB held discussions with ICC officials in Dhaka this week to resolve the deadlock, but no agreement was reached.
In a statement, the BCB said, “During the discussions, the BCB formally reiterated its request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka.”
While the ICC has not issued an official comment, cricket website Cricinfo and several Indian media outlets reported on Monday that the BCB has been given until Wednesday to communicate its final decision.
An ICC source told AFP that if Bangladesh withdraws from the World Cup, their place will be taken by Scotland, the highest-ranked team among those that failed to qualify.
The 10th edition of the T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on 7 February. Bangladesh have been drawn in Group C alongside England, West Indies, Nepal, and Italy, with their matches set to be played in Kolkata and Mumbai.
During talks with the ICC, Bangladesh also proposed swapping groups with Ireland, who are currently placed in Group B.
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