Dhaka: Bangladesh on Thursday, January 22, refused to send its national cricket team for the T20 World Cup in India, effectively paving the way for Scotland to take its place in the tournament roster after the ICC dismissed the country’s demand for a change of venue.
Bangladesh had been served an ultimatum by the world body on Wednesday to either agree to travel to India or risk being replaced, as there was no credible threat to the safety of their players, officials or fans there. The country was given time till Thursday to make its decision.
However, taking a defiant position, Bangladesh’s sports advisor Asif Nazrul, after a meeting with national team players, announced that the ICC‘s position was not acceptable to them.
“While our cricketers have worked hard to qualify for the World Cup, the security risk regarding playing in India remains unchanged. This concern is not based on abstract analysis,” Nazrul said.
“We are not giving up hope yet; our team is ready. We expect the ICC to provide justice by considering our genuine security risks and allowing us to play in Sri Lanka,” he added.
Bangladesh are due to play four games in India (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai). The country raised security concerns after pacer Mustafizur Rahman was ousted from the IPL on BCCI’s instructions for unspecified “developments all around.”
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