Won’t play in India: Bangladesh to boycott T20 World Cup
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Dhaka: Bangladesh on Thursday 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, PTI reported.
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 until 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 is 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.
It was on Wednesday that ICC confirmed that Bangladesh’s matches in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup will be played in India as originally scheduled, rejecting a request from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to shift the fixtures to Sri Lanka.
In a statement, the ICC said its decision was based on detailed security assessments, including independent reviews, which found no threat to the safety of Bangladesh players, officials, media, or fans at any of the tournament venues in India.