BCB Accepts ICC Decision on World Cup Participation

Bangladesh will not take part in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has accepted the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) final decision on the matter. Due to security concerns over playing matches in India, Bangladesh has been replaced by Scotland in the tournament.The ICC confirmed the development through an official press release, bringing an end to weeks of speculation. The BCB had informed the ICC on multiple occasions that, under the current circumstances, it was not prepared to send the national team to India citing security issues.Discussions between the ICC and the BCB continued for nearly three weeks. However, the ICC made it clear that changing the tournament schedule was not possible, leading to the final decision.Following the ICC announcement on Saturday (January 24), a BCB board meeting was held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. After the meeting, BCB director Amzad Hossain told reporters that the board had no option but to respect the ICC’s ruling.He said the issue was entirely related to security and that several meetings had taken place with the ICC, attended by high-level government representatives. Despite these discussions, the ICC informed them that altering the schedule was not feasible. As a result, the government decided that Bangladesh could not travel to India under the existing arrangements.Amzad Hossain added that the BCB formally communicated its position to the ICC in a respectful manner and accepted the ICC board’s decision, confirming that Bangladesh would not be playing in India.Another BCB director, Asif Akbar, stated that Bangladesh’s absence from the World Cup was solely due to security risks. He explained that the decision was taken collectively by the Ministries of Information, Foreign Affairs, Youth and Sports, and Law after consultations with the government.He emphasized that the safety of players and supporters was the top priority and that the government was unwilling to take any risk. He also noted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not a state authority, and adequate security assurances at the state-to-state level were not received. According to him, Bangladesh never refused to play the World Cup but was compelled by security assessments.Asif Akbar further revealed that intelligence and security reports played a key role in the government’s stance, adding that discussions were held with Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul as recently as the previous day.BCB director Abdur Razzaq echoed similar sentiments, stating that government clearance is mandatory for any overseas tour. He said the board was duty-bound to follow the government’s directive and did not consider the outcome a failure.The BCB first emailed the ICC on January 4, formally expressing its unwillingness to play World Cup matches in India due to security concerns. This came a day after Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Indian Premier League, and his franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, released him from the squad following instructions from the BCCI.The issue was later discussed at the ICC board meeting on January 21, where a vote was held. Apart from Bangladesh and Pakistan, all other member nations voted in favor of proceeding with the tournament without Bangladesh. The vote ended 14–2 against Bangladesh.After requesting additional time for consultations, the BCB held further meetings with government officials and players but maintained its position. Eventually, in line with its regulations, the ICC excluded Bangladesh from the tournament and included Scotland instead, releasing a revised match schedule shortly afterward.