Bangladesh has decided not to participate in the T20 World Cup to be held in India, citing security risks, Youth and Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul announced the decision after a meeting with the cricketers of the World Cup squad at Hotel Intercontinental on Thursday (January 22).
He said, “It is the government’s decision and the insistence on not playing the World Cup in India considering the security risks for the cricketers. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had earlier requested to move the venue from India to Sri Lanka, but the ICC rejected it and said that the tournament will be played in India as per the scheduled schedule.”
Bangladesh has not changed its position despite the ICC giving BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul 24 hours to reconsider the decision. The sports advisor said the security risk fears are not based on speculation, but are based on real events.
He also said that the ICC has not been fair to Bangladesh, but expressed hope that the organization will make a fair decision and give Bangladesh the opportunity to play the World Cup in Sri Lanka.