Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Bangladesh has refused to travel for the upcoming World Cup in India, citing security concerns. Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif on Thursday criticised cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), for failing to address Bangladesh’s grievances. Addressing a press conference in Dhaka, Youth and Sports adviser Nazrul stressed that assessing potential security risks for citizens travelling abroad is the sole responsibility of the concerned government and not a matter for external parties to determine.
“There is no scope to change our decision. We are not giving up yet. Our team is ready, and we still hope that the ICC will deliver justice. We want the ICC to take our genuine security risk into consideration and allow us to play in Sri Lanka,” Asif Nazrul said after a meeting with Bangladesh team cricketers and BCB officials.“There has been no change in the security risk situation regarding playing in India at present. This concern is not based on any abstract or hypothetical idea; rather, it stems from a real incident in which the Indian cricket board failed to provide security to one of our top players, Mustafizur Rahman, under pressure from extremists, and he was asked to leave India.“Since the Indian cricket board is effectively an extended arm of the government and could not ensure the safety of even a single player, no assurance has been given by the ICC or the Indian government that they would be able to guarantee the security of our entire team, journalists, and spectators,” he added.Supporting the government’s position, Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam Bulbul said the board remains resolute in its demand.“A world organisation cannot impose a 24-hour ultimatum. We will keep fighting,” said Bulbul.“Bangladesh is a cricket-loving nation. If a country of nearly 200 million people misses the World Cup, the ICC will lose a huge audience.“Cricket is entering the Olympics in 2028, Brisbane in 2032, with India bidding for 2036. Excluding a major cricket-loving country like Bangladesh would be a failure. We are still fighting. Our only demand is to play the World Cup — but not in India. We want to play in Sri Lanka or another neutral venue. Our team is ready.”Earlier on Wednesday, the ICC rejected Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB’s) request to relocate Bangladesh’s matches from India and chose to keep the tournament’s schedule unchanged after a board meeting.
