Uncertainty over whether Bangladesh will take part in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has intensified after the sport’s governing body flagged security concerns linked to the possible inclusion of left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, with the tournament scheduled to be held in India next month.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul said ICC’s security department had warned Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that the team could face heightened safety risks if it travels to India for the tournament. He disclosed details of the communication while addressing reporters at a press conference at the Bangladesh Football Federation building.
According to Nazrul, ICC identified three factors that could escalate security threats for Bangladesh, one of which was Mustafizur’s presence in the squad.
“The ICC’s security team said in an email that there could be security problems in India if Mustafizur Rahman is included in the Bangladesh squad and if spectators wear Bangladesh jerseys,” he said.
Nazrul added that ICC had also cautioned that security risks could rise further as Bangladesh approaches its national election period.
The sports adviser went on to say, “So this statement of ICC security team has proven beyond a doubt that there is no situation for the Bangladesh cricket team to play the T20 World Cup in India.”
He added, “If ICC expects us to make a cricket team without our best bowler, our supporters will not be able to wear the Bangladesh jersey, and we will postpone the Bangladesh elections to play cricket, then there can be no more bizarre, unrealistic and unreasonable expectation than this.”
Nazrul reiterated that Bangladesh would not travel to India under any circumstances, adding that the BCB had already written twice to ICC to formally communicate its position.
He also pointed to what he described as a deteriorating environment in India, citing an “extreme communal environment” and an anti-Bangladesh campaign that he said had persisted for more than a year.
“When a national authority like BCCI bows to extremist pressure and advises that a Bangladeshi player should not be allowed to play, what greater proof does ICC need that there is no environment for us to play cricket in India?” said Nazrul.
He stressed that cricket should not be driven by political or commercial pressure and said he hoped ICC, as the sport’s global governing body, would take an independent decision based on Bangladesh’s security concerns.
Under the current schedule, Bangladesh are due to play World Cup matches in Kolkata and Mumbai, with less than four weeks remaining before the tournament begins. Nazrul said ICC was expected to issue a formal response to BCB’s request within the next few days, and that a more detailed letter outlining security shortcomings would be made public soon.
Later on Monday, Bangladesh Cricket Board issued a clarification, stressing that the communication referenced by the adviser was an internal exchange with ICC’s security department and did not constitute a formal response from ICC to Bangladesh’s relocation request.
“The correspondence cited today was in reference to an internal communication between BCB and ICC’s Security Department related to threat assessments for the Bangladesh team,” the statement said.
BCB reiterated that it has formally raised concerns about venue arrangements and confirmed it is still awaiting an official decision from the ICC, as Mustafizur Rahman’s inclusion continues to sit at the centre of an unresolved standoff over Bangladesh’s World Cup participation.
Meanwhile, according to ESPNcricinfo, the assessment was shared with the BCB’s security team and concluded there was no overall threat to the side, but pointed to low to moderate risks in some venues and low to nil in others — standard ICC categorisations around the world that do not ordinarily constitute sufficient reason to move games.
For now, it said ICC’s position remains unchanged: the match schedule has been finalised and made public, and all participating teams are expected to meet their obligations under the terms of participation of ICC events.
