Bangladesh’s chances of playing in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup are not over yet, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul said, despite the ICC rejecting the request to shift matches from India.
“Everyone wants to play in the World Cup, and Bangladesh is no exception. Not all doors are completely closed yet,” Bulbul said, expressing hope that the ICC could reconsider its stance. “The next step will be decided in line with the board’s position and the government’s perspective.”
Amid growing uncertainty, Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul is set to hold an emergency meeting with national team cricketers on Thursday afternoon at a five-star hotel in Dhaka. The meeting will involve players selected for the World Cup squad and focus on their views regarding playing matches in India.
Earlier on Wednesday night, Bulbul and senior BCB officials held discussions with the sports adviser.
The BCB had proposed to move the match from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns ahead of the T20 World Cup.
However, the ICC directly rejected the request and said that if Bangladesh does not come to play in India as per the schedule, another team will be included in the World Cup. At the same time, the highest governing body of cricket set a deadline of 24 hours for Bangladesh to inform its final decision.
Despite this situation, the BCB president sees a ray of hope. Regarding the ICC's position, he said, “Everyone wants to play in the World Cup, and Bangladesh is no exception. Not all doors are completely closed yet. The ICC can reconsider its decision if it wants. However, the decision to take the next step will be taken in accordance with the board's position and the government's perspective.”
Bulbul said that they do not want to create any pressure on the government. The decision that the government takes on the issue of security will be communicated to the ICC. Because the decision of a country has to take into account not only the players' issues, but also the overall security and diplomatic realities.
Earlier, in the virtual meeting of the ICC Governing Body on Wednesday, only Pakistan, apart from Bangladesh, took a stand not to play on Indian soil. However, as the votes of the rest of the member countries went against Bangladesh, the ICC kept their decision unchanged. At the same time, the organization stated that there is no security risk for Bangladesh while playing in India.
Now the country's cricket scene is looking at the opinions of the cricketers and the final decision of the government. Thursday's meeting and the government's position can decide the direction of Bangladesh's future in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
