The Bangladesh Cricket Board has appealed to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) in a desperate attempt to have the governing body reverse its decision to host the national men’s team’s T20 World Cup matches in India. However, the appeal will not be heard because it falls outside the subcommittee’s purview.
The BCB under Aminul Islam Bulbul chose its last option, approaching the DRC led by Englishman Michael Beloff (Kings Counsel), despite the ICC keeping Scotland on standby.
“Yes, BCB has approached the DRC of ICC as it wants to exhaust all its options. If DRC rules against BCB, then the only body that can be approached is Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) in Switzerland,” PTI quoted a BCB source as saying on conditions of anonymity.
Following the removal of senior pacer Mustafizur Rahaman from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad on the BCCI’s orders, the interim administration of Bangladesh and its sports ministry advisor, anti-India hardliner Asif Nazrul, said that the team will not travel to India for “security reasons”.
According to the ICC’s Constitution and “Terms of Reference” for the Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC), it has no authority to consider an appeal against a ruling made by the international organization’s board of directors.
Nazrul insisted that the government, not the BCB, should make the decision, despite the ICC Board of Directors’ resounding 14-2 vote in favor of keeping Bangladesh’s matches in India following an independent security assessment that identified a “low to moderate” security threat.
As per clause 1.3 of Terms of Reference of DRC: “The Committee shall not operate as an appeal body against decisions of the ICC or any decision making body established under the ICC’s Memorandum and Articles of Association or under any rules or regulations of the ICC…”
“Bangladesh can approach the DRC but if one looks at the rules, the case can’t even heard as the committee doesn’t have the remit to hear an appeal which is against the decision made by the Board of Directors,” PTI quoted an ICC board source as saying.
A formal announcement regarding Bangladesh’s replacement is expected by Saturday. ICC chairman Jay Shah, who was in Namibia for the U-19 World Cup, is currently in Dubai.
“The ICC Board Members are extremely angry with Aminul Islam Bulbul as to why before informing the global body, a press conference was held. Asif Nazrul is a persona-non-grata for the ICC but Bulbul shouldn’t have allowed a press conference before informing their decision to the ICC,” PTI quoted the source as saying.
One of the ICC’s most recent rulings under Beloff was in 2018, when it summarily rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board’s USD 70 million compensation claim against the BCCI for allegedly breaking an agreement to play bilateral series in Pakistan. The ICC’s DRC operates in accordance with British law.
In its ruling, the DRC declared that what the PCB had previously referred to as a “Memorandum of Understanding” between two countries was only a “letter of intent” that was not legally enforceable on the BCCI. The DRC often verifies whether the ICC Board has complied with all legal requirements before rendering a decision. It is not a body for appeals.
