The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul says he is still “hoping for a miracle from the ICC” as Bangladesh face the risk of being replaced at the 2026 T20 World Cup over their refusal to travel to India.
“I am hoping for a miracle from the ICC. Who doesn’t want to play in the World Cup?” Bulbul said after the ICC Board meeting that discussed Bangladesh’s position and the tournament schedule.
He confirmed that Bangladesh’s request to shift their matches away from India did not go through in the voting.
“It is correct that our plea was rejected. We can’t really comment after the ICC’s press release, but I can tell you the meeting lasted an hour and a half. We explained our reasons, but we got behind in the voting,” he said.
Bulbul stressed that the desire to play the World Cup is not in doubt from either the players or the authorities back home. But he said Bangladesh remain concerned about safety if the team travels to India.
“The Bangladesh players want to play the World Cup. The government wants Bangladesh to play. But we don’t think India is safe for our players. We asked them to shift matches to Sri Lanka or switch with Ireland or Zimbabwe. It would have been the easiest way, but Sri Lanka said they didn’t want a new team in their group,” he added.
His comments come after reports that the ICC Board voted in favour of replacing Bangladesh at the 2026 T20 World Cup if the team continues to refuse to travel to India. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has reportedly been given one final day to clarify whether the team will fulfil its fixtures in India.
Bulbul also said the ICC acknowledged Bangladesh’s concerns and gave the board a short window to respond after the meeting.
“They said it’s a valid point and gave me 24 to 48 hours. I don’t want to put pressure on the government. We know India is not secure for us. We remain in the stance that we want to play in Sri Lanka, but we will talk to the government one more time and inform the ICC,” he said.
The issue has been building for weeks amid political tension and security concerns. Bangladesh have repeatedly pushed for a venue change, suggesting Sri Lanka as an alternative or proposing a group swap with teams such as Ireland or Zimbabwe.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), however, has remained firm on the original schedule so far, leaving Bangladesh with a final decision to make alongside the government.
