Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul is set to hold a meeting with members of Bangladesh’s World Cup squad this afternoon as uncertainty continues over the team’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup in India.
The meeting will take place at 3:00pm at Hotel InterContinental in the capital, with players named in the World Cup squad expected to attend. The government is expected to brief the cricketers on the circumstances that led to Bangladesh’s decision not to travel to India for the tournament and discuss possible next steps.
Bangladesh has already informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that it will not travel to India due to security concerns. However, the ICC reiterated on Wednesday that participation in the World Cup would require Bangladesh to play its matches in India, ruling out any venue change.
Following an ICC board meeting earlier on Wednesday, the governing body issued a press release stating that it believes there is no threat in India to Bangladeshi players, supporters, or officials. The ICC also termed the incident involving pacer Mustafizur Rahman — who was dropped from the Indian Premier League after alleged threats from extremists — as “singular and irrelevant.” The ICC further confirmed that the World Cup schedule would not be altered.
In response, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam said he had requested one day from the ICC to consult with the government before announcing a final decision. “I am hoping for a miracle,” Aminul said, adding that the ICC had granted the board a 24-hour window to reconsider its stance.
The BCB’s decision not to send the team to India was taken following government instructions after the Mustafizur incident. Since then, the board has held two rounds of discussions with the ICC — one online and another in person — but has maintained its position that Bangladesh should be allowed to play the World Cup in Sri Lanka instead.
The ICC board’s vote earlier indicated majority support for enforcing participation in India, leaving Bangladesh facing the possibility of being excluded from the tournament if it does not reverse its decision. A final announcement on Bangladesh’s participation is expected later today.
