Bangladesh’s request to move its T20 World Cup matches out of India is unlikely to be granted, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday, citing an assessment study that rated the nation’s security issues as “low” threat.
According to ICC sources, if the Bangladeshi team competes in the competition beginning on February 7, there is no specific or direct threat identified in the global organization’s risk assessment study.
It also refutes assertions made by Asif Nazrul, an advisor to the Bangladeshi sports ministry, that Mustafizur Rahman’s addition to the squad will increase the overall threat. Bangladesh are scheduled to play four league stage games in India.
“It is important to clarify that the ICC’s independent risk assessments, carried out by internationally recognised security experts, do not conclude that Bangladesh cannot play its scheduled matches in India. The overall security risk for the tournament in India has been assessed as low to moderate, which is consistent with the profile of many major global sporting events,” a PTI report quoted an ICC source as saying.
The source claims that no direct threat to Bangladeshi authorities at any Indian venue was found in the evaluation.
“Based on the professional advice received, the risk associated with Bangladesh’s scheduled fixtures in Kolkata and Mumbai is assessed as low to moderate, with no indication of risks that cannot be effectively managed through established security planning and mitigation measures,” the source added.
This comes after Nazrul’s public remarks in Dhaka, where he implied that the ICC report had identified a threat to Mustafizur, whose exclusion from the IPL on BCCI’s orders due to vague “developments all around” caused the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to threaten to pullout. Later, the BCB clarified its position, essentially retracting Nazrul’s Monday claims.
“The correspondence cited today by the Advisor for the Ministry of Youth & Sports was in reference to an internal communication between the BCB and the ICC’s Security Department related to threat assessments for the Bangladesh team ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. This does not constitute a formal response from the ICC to the BCB’s request for the relocation of Bangladesh’s matches outside India,” the BCB said in a statement.
However, the BCB reaffirmed that it has asked for Bangladesh’s games to be moved outside of India “in the interest of the team’s security” and that it is still expecting an official response from the ICC about this issue. The ICC source stated that it is unlikely that the current schedule will be altered.
“The ICC has full confidence in the security arrangements being developed in close collaboration with the BCCI and relevant local authorities, who have a strong and proven track record of safely delivering major international sporting events,” the source said.
Additionally, the ICC reaffirmed that security planning is a continuous process.
“Participating members, including the Bangladesh Cricket Board, are being consulted as part of this process, and the ICC remains open to constructive dialogue and feedback to further strengthen arrangements where appropriate,” the PTI report quoted the source as adding.
Nazrul also asserted that the ICC has recognized his nation’s unique security concerns over travel to India for the T20 World Cup. However, the global governing body of the sport called his claim “a complete lie”.
“I need to inform you that the security team of the ICC and those in charge of security have sent a letter (to BCB). In that letter, it has been said that three things will increase the security threat to the Bangladesh team,” Nazrul said during a press conference in Dhaka, according to local newspaper Daily Star.
“One is if Mustafizur (Rahman) is included in the Bangladesh team. Two, if the supporters of the Bangladesh team walk around wearing the national jersey of Bangladesh. And the third is that the security threat of the Bangladesh team will increase as the (Bangladesh) elections approach,” he added.
Despite acknowledging that it had communicated with the BCB, the ICC refuted Nazrul’s assertions that it had acknowledged Bangladesh’s stated concerns.
“There has been an internal communication from ICC to BCB with regards to security in India. But what Asif Nazrul said is a complete lie. ICC’s communication never mentions that Mustafizur’s selection will be an issue. It’s complete falsehood…There is no such advisory in formal communication,” PTI quoted the ICC source as saying.
An enraged Bangladeshi government banned the IPL from being broadcast in the nation after Mustafizur was removed from the Kolkata Knight Riders team.
However, current Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and former captain Tamim Iqbal advised against taking a strict stance on the issue, with the former stating that actions made now will have consequences ten years later.
The players’ psychological strain at the possibility of missing a World Cup has been expressed by Shanto. But Nazrul has adopted an uncompromising stance, saying time and time again that Bangladesh will not compromise on its demand.
