Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul has reminded the International Cricket Council (ICC) that it could lose 20 crore viewers if Bangladesh does not play the upcoming T20 World Cup.
He made the remarks while addressing a press conference on Thursday.
Earlier in the afternoon, despite a long meeting in Dhaka at the InterContinental Hotel with players, BCB officials, and government policymakers, Bangladesh has maintained its firm stance. Both the BCB and the government have made it clear that the team will not play any matches on Indian soil, insisting instead that the fixtures be shifted to Sri Lanka.
Bulbul said that even though the ICC issued a 24-hour ultimatum, a global organization cannot act in such a manner.
He added that Bangladesh would once again present its plan to hold matches in Sri Lanka to the ICC.
Highlighting the potential financial impact, he said that the ICC would bear the loss if Bangladesh abstains from playing, as it could miss out on 2o crore viewers.
The former Bangladesh skipper also expressed his objection to recognizing Sri Lanka as a co-host, referring to it as a ‘hybrid model,’ and voiced surprise at some comments reportedly made during ICC meetings regarding the matter.
bd-pratidin/GR
