Bangladesh sports advisor to meet cricketers on T20 WC participation:BCB hoping for a ‘miracle’ after ICC’s ultimatum to play in India or be replaced

Bangladesh sports advisor Asif Nazrul is set to meet the national cricketers and to discuss participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the midst of the ongoing venue controversy. The ICC has issued an ultimatum to Bangladesh, giving the country a 24-hour deadline to decide on their participation or be replaced by another team. This came after the apex body rejected Bangladesh’s request to relocate their T20 World Cup matches outside India. The apex body held a board meeting on 21 January to arrive at this conclusion, which involved taking votes from Full Member nations. A total of 14 out of 16 member countries voted against the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) proposal. Only Pakistan supported Bangladesh’s venue change demand. Bangladesh sports advisor Asif Nazrul to interact with players Asif Nazrul will meet Litton Das and co today to inform them about the ongoing scenario and, in turn, seek their opinion on this matter as well. The meeting, as per Cricbuzz, is said to be held at Hotel InterContinental at 3:00 PM local time. This comes after Bangladesh captain Litton Das said that the players were uncertain of their participation in the tournament. As per India Today, BCB president Aminul Islam and some directors visited Nazrul’s house on the night of 21 January to talk about this issue after the ICC’s verdict. Nazrul has been vocal about Bangladesh’s security concerns in India after Mustafizur Rahman was excluded from the IPL on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Bangladesh have since demanded an alternate venue and remained firm on not travelling to India. Also read: ICC rejects Bangladesh’s venue change demand for T20 World Cup:Gives BCB 24 hours deadline, or Scotland will replace them Bangladesh ‘hoping for a miracle from ICC’, says BCB president Aminul Islam Speaking after the ICC’s ultimatum, Aminul said, “I am hoping for a miracle from the ICC. Who doesn’t want to play the World Cup?” He added that the Bangladesh government and the players wanted the nation to participate in the World Cup, but remained insistent on the fact that India was not a secure place for them. Aminul also added that Sri Lanka did not want to incorporate a new team in the list of fixtures they are hosting. “The Bangladesh players want to play the World Cup. The Bangladesh government wants Bangladesh to play the World Cup. But we don’t think India is safe for our players. We asked them to shift the matches to Sri Lanka. We said that we can switch with Ireland or Zimbabwe. It would have been the easiest way. But Sri Lanka said that we don’t want a new team in our group. After the vote, I told them that I want one last chance to tell my government. They said it’s a valid point, and gave me 24 or 48 hours to get back to them.” Bangladesh captain Litton Das uncertain about T20 World Cup participation Bangladesh captain Litton Das expressed uncertainty over his country participating in the T20 World Cup in the midst of this ongoing venue row. “If we had known who our group opponents were [in the World Cup] or which country we were going to, that would have helped,” he said. “You have seen that we have announced the squad, but until now, no player knows which country we are going to or whom we will play against. Like me, the whole of Bangladesh is now uncertain,” added Das. Also read: ‘If ICC bows to pressure from BCCI…’: Bangladesh sports advisor adamant, ‘We cannot be pressurised to play in India’ What happens if Bangladesh withdraw from the T20 World Cup? Scotland will replace Bangladesh if Litton Das and co eventually do not end up travelling to India. Scotland had finished third behind Netherlands and Italy at the European Qualifiers. If Bangladesh refuse to travel to India, Scotland will replace Bangladesh in Group C and join West Indies, England and Nepal. As per the T20 World Cup schedule, Bangladesh has been placed in Group C in the tournament. Its three group matches are to be played at Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata. The team’s last group stage match is to be held in Mumbai. ICC also rejected Bangladesh’s request for group-change In the 17 January meeting, BCB had demanded to change the group, which ICC had rejected. ICC also assured BCB that there is no specific security threat to the Bangladesh team. Bangladesh Cricket Board had asked ICC to include them in Group B instead of Group C. The board’s argument was that if this happened, Bangladesh would have to play all its matches in Sri Lanka, which would reduce travel and security-related issues. According to the current schedule, Ireland is to play its Group B matches against Sri Lanka, Australia, and Oman in Colombo, while their last match will be against Zimbabwe in Kandy. On the other hand, Bangladesh is scheduled to play three matches in its current Group-C against West Indies, Italy, and England in Kolkata, while the last group match is set against Nepal in Mumbai. Why have Bangladesh refused to play in India? Bangladesh announced that they will not play in India ever since Mustafizur was excluded from Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) squad for IPL 2026. This came on the back of threats received by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after reports of anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh emerged. “If India cannot provide security to Mustafizur, how can they provide security to the entire Bangladeshi team?” Akbar had said, in an exclusive interaction with Bhaskar English.