Last Updated on 3 months ago by Charbel Coorey
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has given a one-day ultimatum to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to confirm their availability for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
According to ESPNCricinfo, the majority of the ICC board, on Wednesday, January 21, voted 14-2 in favour of replacing Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup.
ICC board votes for Bangladesh to be replaced in the T20 World Cup if they don’t travel to India
The meeting had representation from members and presidents of all the full member nations, and it also included top brass of the ICC management, such as CEO Sanjog Gupta, deputy chairman Imran Khawaja, and general manager Gaurav Saxena. Additionally, two members of associate nations, Mubashshir Usmani and Mahinda Vallipuram, were in attendance.
The ICC is said to have told the BCB to inform the Bangladesh government that their cricket team would be replaced in the biennial event should they not agree to travel to India.
Bangladesh are placed in Group C alongside two-time World Champions West Indies and England, and associate nations: Nepal and Italy. They are scheduled to play their four group stage matches in India, three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.
Should the Bangladesh government refuse to budge from its stance, its cricket team would be replaced by Scotland. The European nation failed to qualify for the 2026 edition, having finished behind the Netherlands, Italy, and Jersey in the regional qualifiers.
The ongoing row erupted after India banned fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from participating in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Following that, BCB refused to travel to India for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, citing security concerns for their players.
However, an independent security agency’s risk assessment report for the upcoming event reveals that there is no direct threat against participating teams in India. Following numerous failed discussions between BCB and the governing body, the ICC board met today to take a final call on the matter.
Bangladesh received support from Pakistan on their stance, with ESPNCricinfo reporting that the PCB wrote an e-mail to the governing body, supporting Bangladesh’s insistence on not traveling to India.
