The International Cricket Council (ICC) is sending officials to Dhaka this weekend to hold direct talks with senior Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials in an attempt to resolve the current standoff over Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup, which begins in India in less than three weeks. A two-member ICC delegation is expected to arrive in Dhaka on Saturday evening.
During the meetings, the ICC team is likely to share detailed security information, including an independent risk assessment. This follows the BCB’s repeated statements that it will not send the team to play matches in India due to security concerns. Until now, all discussions between the two boards have taken place over video calls. This will be the first in-person meeting. Reports also suggest that representatives from the Bangladesh government may attend the discussions.
In their January 13 virtual meeting, the BCB had asked the ICC to relocate all of Bangladesh’s matches (placed in Group C) out of India. The ICC responded that it would not make changes to the existing schedule, especially with the tournament starting on February 7, less than a month away.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play the opening match of the tournament against West Indies in Kolkata on that day. The situation has been complicated by recent tensions between India and Bangladesh. On January 4, the BCB wrote to the ICC stating that it would not be safe for the team to travel to India for the World Cup, where all four of their group matches are scheduled. This came shortly after the BCCI directed Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their squad, without giving any specific reason.
In the most recent virtual discussion, the ICC shared its security assessment report with the BCB. The report concluded that there was no specific or significantly heightened threat to the Bangladesh team in India. It described risks as low to moderate at some venues and low to negligible at others – standard ICC classifications used worldwide that usually do not justify moving matches. However, the BCB has not shared its own security assessment with either the ICC or the BCCI.
Bangladesh’s group-stage schedule includes three matches in Kolkata – against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 – followed by their final group game against Nepal in Mumbai.
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