BD won’t play T20 WC in India: Asif Nazrul

Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul on Thursday said there is no scope to change Bangladesh’s decision not to travel to India to play the T20 World Cup due to security concerns.

“As the ICC has also not accepted Bangladesh’s request to change the venue, it now effectively means that Bangladesh will not be taking part in this year’s T20 World Cup,” he said.

Asif Nazrul made the remarks after a meeting with national team players at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka.

He said the ICC had failed to ensure justice by not considering Bangladesh’s request for a venue shift, although he expressed hope that the global body would eventually act fairly.

“Our security risk in playing in India has not changed at all,” Asif Nazrul said. “This security concern did not arise from any imaginary analysis or assumption. It arose from a real incident, where one of the best players of our country was forced to bow his head before extremists, and the Indian cricket board removed him from India – plainly speaking, asked him to leave.”

After Asif Nazrul spoke to the media, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam also addressed journalists.

Echoing the same stance, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul said the board remains firm on its demand.

“We will continue our efforts in our own way. We are not giving up yet. Our only demand is to play the World Cup — but not in India. We want to play in Sri Lanka or another neutral venue. We are still ready; our team is ready,” Bulbul said.

At the ICC meeting held on Wednesday, the BCB president had been given one day to consult with the government and reconsider the decision not to play in India.

In line with that, both the sports adviser and the BCB president on Thursday reaffirmed their firm stance on not playing the World Cup in India.