On January 22, when Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam Bulbul did a press conference in Dhaka, he effectively accused the ICC of double standards. That press conference was done on the heels of the ICC Board’s decision, by a 14-2 majority, not to change the schedule of the upcoming T20 World Cup starting on February 7. The ICC Board asked Bangladesh to come and play their matches in the tournament as per the schedule — three group league games in Kolkata and another one in Mumbai.
“The ICC tried to tell us about incidents in 1996 and 2003, but we pointed out their recent steps in a similar matter,” Bulbul told reporters. “When a country refused to travel to another country for the Champions Trophy last February, the ICC organised a neutral venue for them. The team played all their Champions Trophy matches in that neutral venue. They played at one ground, staying in one hotel. It was a privilege.”
Bulbul, and Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul for that matter, tried to be so clever that they ended up being too clever by half.
When the BCCI refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy last year and requested to schedule the matches at a neutral venue, there were security threats on the other side of the Wagah border even as per the ICC’s internal security assessment. Cross-border terrorism is an ongoing issue.
In Bangladesh’s case, the ICC’s security assessment found “nil to negligible” threats at the Indian venues. More importantly, India playing their matches in Dubai in the Champions Trophy was approved by the ICC Board. As a quid pro quo, the Board also decided that all India-Pakistan matches at the ICC events would be played at a neutral venue until 2027.
Similarly, in this case, the ICC Board decided through an overwhelming majority that the schedule for the T20 World Cup will remain unaltered and with Bangladesh refusing to budge, Scotland will replace them at the showpiece event. So, the question of double standards doesn’t arise. On Friday, the ICC informed the BCB via an email that Scotland have replaced Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup.
Coming to Pakistan’s position, Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chair, was asked at an event on Saturday whether his country would be participating at the World Cup? “Our stance will be what the government of Pakistan instructs me,” he told reporters.
The PCB did vote in favour of Bangladesh at the ICC Board, but it was just token support. If they were hell-bent, they would have recorded their protest in the minutes of the Board meeting. On the face of it, the PCB’s posturing feels like trying to pacify a baby who is throwing his toys out of the pram.
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