The Bangladesh Cricket Board has denied reports that it was instructed by the International Cricket Council to either play according to the schedule or forfeit its matches in the forthcoming T20 World Cup.
“The BCB has also taken note of certain reports published in a section of the media suggesting that the Board has been issued an ultimatum in this regard. The BCB categorically states that such claims are completely false, unfounded and do not reflect the nature or content of the communication received from the ICC,” it said in a media release.
As per earlier reports, the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s plea to move their T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka was denied by the ICC.
According to an ANI report citing ESPNCricinfo, the ICC told the Bangladesh Cricket Board during a video call on Tuesday that it was denying the latter’s request to move Bangladesh’s matches outside of India due to security concerns.
According to the report, Bangladesh was cautioned by the ICC that failing to travel to India for their matches could result in them losing points.
The BCB added on Wednesday that the ICC is “willing to work closely” with it to resolve “security concerns” around the team’s participation in the T20 World Cup in India.
Bangladesh’s four matches in the T20 World Cup are scheduled to take place in Kolkata and Mumbai starting on February 7.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board has received response from the ICC regarding the Board’s expressed concerns over the safety and security of the Bangladesh National Cricket Team in India for the ICC T20 World Cup, including the request for relocation of the team’s matches,” the BCB said in a statement in Dhaka.
“In its communication, the ICC has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the full and uninterrupted participation of the Bangladesh team in the tournament.
“The ICC has conveyed its willingness to work closely with the BCB to address the concerns raised and has assured that the Board’s inputs will be welcomed and duly considered as part of the detailed security planning for the event,” it added.
Tensions between India and Bangladesh erupted after Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the IPL on the BCCI’s orders.
