Bangladeshi official says his country will not back down under pressure as team captain Litton Das voices concerns over his team’s participation.
A top sport official has cast doubts over Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup, saying his country will not back down to “unreasonable coercion” and play their matches in India despite security concerns.
“We have logically requested a change of venue for valid reasons,” Asif Nazrul, youth and sports adviser in the Bangladesh interim government, told the state-run BSS news agency late on Tuesday.
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“We cannot be forced to play in India through illogical pressure or unreasonable coercion.”
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has refused to play its four group-stage fixtures in India, citing safety and security concerns for its players, and asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate the fixtures to co-hosts Sri Lanka for the upcoming tournament.
With cricket’s governing body expected to rule on the impasse imminently, an official from the Bangladeshi government stated that they would not be pressured into changing their stance.
The last round of talks between the BCB and the ICC failed to reach any deal to end the impasse, amid reports that Bangladesh had been told to agree to play in India by Wednesday or risk being kicked out of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly put its weight behind Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India and has written to the ICC to consider the ongoing political turmoil in the region before reaching a conclusion.
“The PCB wrote to the [ICC’s] governing body stating that it supports the BCB’s stance on not wanting to play in India at a time of political turmoil in the neighbourhood,” a report on ESPNcricinfo said.
Earlier in the week, Pakistani media had speculated that the PCB might consider pulling out of the tournament should Bangladesh be ousted from the World Cup.
The T20 World Cup begins in a little more than two weeks, on February 7, with Bangladesh’s four group matches to be played in Kolkata and Mumbai.
‘Whole of Bangladesh is uncertain’
Bangladesh captain Litton Das said he had no idea if the team would take part.
“From where I stand, I’m uncertain, everyone is uncertain,” Das told reporters after a domestic cricket match on Tuesday, asking: “Are you sure we will play the World Cup?
“I think at this moment, the whole of Bangladesh is uncertain,” he added in comments reported by Dhaka’s Prothom Alo newspaper.
One suggestion is that Bangladesh could be replaced by Scotland, the highest-ranked team that did not qualify for the World Cup.
The BBC reported that Cricket Scotland had not been contacted by the ICC, but were ready to take part should they get a late call-up.
The dispute between Bangladesh and India erupted on January 3, following top Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman’s abrupt removal from the Indian Premier League (IPL) upon instructions from the BCCI due to the ongoing political tensions between the two nations.
Diplomatic relations between the once-close allies have been sharply tested since August last year, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi from Dhaka after an uprising against her rule.
Bangladesh blames India for a number of its troubles, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support for Hasina when she was in power.
During the World Cup, Bangladesh will hold its first elections since Hasina’s ousting.
