Confusion surrounds Bangladesh’s participation at next month’s men’s T20 World Cup after an ICC video call on Tuesday left the two sides offering very different accounts of what was said.
According to ICC sources aware of the discussion, the governing body turned down the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request to shift group-stage matches out of India on security grounds and underlined that failure to travel would mean forfeiting tournament points. One official familiar with the exchange told us the message was unmistakable: “turn up or surrender the fixtures”.
The BCB, however, moved quickly to cool talk of a showdown. A senior administrator, speaking after the call, said the board had been assured there was “no such ultimatum” and that conversations remained “open-minded and ongoing”. No written communication has yet been released by either side, while the BCCI has also stayed silent.
Bangladesh, drawn in Group C, are scheduled to play their first three matches in Kolkata – West Indies on 7 February, Italy two days later and England on 14 February – before finishing the group stage against Nepal in Mumbai on 17 February. The tournament itself is split between India and Sri Lanka from 7 February to 8 March.
The dispute began on Sunday when the BCB formally asked the ICC to “consider” moving its matches, a request prompted by an unrelated row over Mustafizur Rahman’s short-lived IPL deal. The Bangladesh fast bowler was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 9.2 crore in December, only for the BCCI to “instruct” the franchise to release him last week.
Devajit Saikia, the BCCI secretary who revealed the decision to media, offered no explanation, and sources say the IPL Governing Council never met to discuss it. “That instruction came out of nowhere,” a person close to the KKR ownership group said. “We’re still waiting to hear the logic.”
For now, Bangladesh’s players continue to prepare, publicly at least, for a trip across the border. One member of the squad, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted the uncertainty was tiring but added: “We’re professionals – when they tell us the venue, we’ll turn up and play.”
While both boards attempt to settle the issue privately, time is tight. Visas, logistics and venue security all need signing off in the next fortnight. An ICC spokesperson declined to elaborate on Tuesday’s call but reiterated the organisation’s wider stance: nations that qualify for ICC events are “expected to fulfil their fixtures”.
With neither side keen on open confrontation, most observers still expect Shakib Al Hasan’s team to take the field in Kolkata. Yet until a joint statement lands – and Mustafizur’s IPL situation is cleared up – a degree of unease lingers.
