Dhaka, Jan 13 (V7N)- A virtual meeting between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup ended without any resolution on Tuesday. Bangladesh reiterated its firm stance that it will not travel to India due to security concerns, while the ICC urged the BCB to reconsider its position following the announcement of the tournament schedule.

The video conference was held on Tuesday afternoon and was attended by BCB President Aminul Islam, Vice Presidents Shakhawat Hossain and Faruk Ahmed, Director and Chairman of the Cricket Operations Committee Nazmul Abedin, and BCB Chief Executive Officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury. Senior ICC officials also took part in the discussion.

During the meeting, the BCB maintained that security concerns prevent the national team from traveling to India for the tournament. The board also requested the ICC to consider relocating Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India. In response, ICC officials stated that the schedule for the T20 World Cup has already been finalized and formally requested Bangladesh to revise its decision. However, the BCB remained unchanged in its stance.

Earlier, on Sunday (January 12), the ICC’s Security Department sent a letter to the BCB outlining potential security risks Bangladesh might face during the tournament in India. Following the letter, Youth and Sports Advisor Professor Asif Nazrul addressed the issue at a press conference held at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) building.

According to Professor Asif Nazrul, the ICC security assessment identified three major risk factors: the inclusion of star left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman in the Bangladesh squad, the movement of Bangladeshi supporters wearing national team jerseys, and heightened security risks due to the approaching national elections in Bangladesh.

The sports advisor said these points raised by the ICC’s own security department clearly indicate that the situation is not conducive for Bangladesh to participate in the T20 World Cup in India.

No new date has been set for further discussions, and the matter remains unresolved.

END/SMA/AJ