‘If ICC bows to pressure from BCCI…’:Bangladesh sports advisor adamant, ‘We cannot be pressurised to play in India’

Bangladesh continue to remain firm on their stance, they want their matches during the T20 World Cup shifted outside India. Bangladesh government’s sports advisor Asif Nazrul spoke to the media on Tuesday and rejected the recent reports claiming their team may be replaced by Scotland. After the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) urged Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur Rahman, following the killing of Hindus in Bangladesh, the BCB are demanding that they cannot travel to the subcontinent. Citing security reasons, they remain adamant to play their T20 World Cup games in Sri Lanka. Over the weekend, an ICC delegation visited Bangladesh to negotiate a way to resolve the impasse, but it seems the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) remain hell bent on not playing in India. BCB remain firm on relocation of T20 World Cup matches Nazrul said that Bangladesh have been given no information about being replaced by Scotland. He insisted that the ICC cannot be pressurised by the BCCI. He also cited past examples when Pakistan refused to travel to India and wants a similar arrangement. “I am not aware that Scotland will be included in our place (in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup),” Nazrul was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. “If the ICC bows to pressure from the Indian Cricket Board and tries to impose pressure on us by setting unreasonable conditions, we will not accept those conditions,” he added. ‘Bangladesh cannot be pressurised’ “In the past there are examples that Pakistan said that they will not travel to India and ICC changed the venue. We have asked to change the venue on logical ground and we cannot be pressurized to play in India by putting illogical pressure,” Nazrul stated further. Bangladesh’s first match on February 7 Bangladesh has been placed in Group-C in the T20 World Cup. The team will face the West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14. All three matches are to be played at Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata. The team’s final group stage match is against Nepal on February 17 in Mumbai.