Bangladesh’s interim government Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul will meet the World Cup squad players on Thursday at 3 pm. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has arranged the meeting at Hotel InterContinental. BCB officials will also be present.
The meeting comes at a critical time for Bangladesh cricket. The ICC has given the BCB a one day deadline to confirm its final decision after talking to the government.
The BCB has held several meetings with the ICC in recent weeks. There were also letters and long discussions. Still, the board could not get a decision in its favour.
The ICC has made its position clear. It said Bangladesh has no security threat in India. It also said Bangladesh must play in India if they want to take part in the T20 World Cup.
The BCB had requested a venue change due to security concerns. It even proposed swapping groups with Ireland, who are in Group B. But the ICC rejected all such requests after a meeting with full and associate member nations.
In an official statement, the ICC said the vote of full member countries played the biggest role. Most members voted against shifting Bangladesh’s venue. The ICC has also kept a backup plan ready. If Bangladesh refuses to play in India, Scotland could replace them in Group C.
So far, the BCB has not held any talks with the players on the issue. Bangladesh T20 captain Litton Das confirmed this on Tuesday. Now, the meeting with Asif Nazrul is expected to help gather the players’ views and decide the next steps before the deadline runs out.
