Bangladesh refuses to travel to India for T20 World Cup as ICC urged to move matches
Bangladesh has refused to travel to India for next month’s T20 World Cup and asked the ICC to move its games “outside India” due to strained political relations between the two countries.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board said in a statement on Sunday that it has decided not to send its cricket team to India “following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India".
The BCB said it also considered advice from its government before reaching out to the ICC “as the event authority to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India".
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Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman celebrates the wicket of Australia's David Warner in 2023. AP
The T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8 and Bangladesh is due to play three group games in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.
Pakistan is already scheduled to play all its group games and beyond if it advances in the tournament, in Sri Lanka due political tensions with India that brought both countries to the brink of war last year.
On Saturday, Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Mustafizur was the only Bangladesh player, who was picked for $1.5 million, in the recent IPL auction.
Bangladesh announced its 15-member squad for the tournament on Sunday with Litton Das as skipper and Mustafizur leading the pace attack.
