Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam has said he will travel to Colombo for Sunday’s high-voltage India–Pakistan T20 World Cup clash, where he expects to ease tensions with the BCCI following weeks of strained relations.

Speaking to Pratham Alo, Islam revealed that the invitation for the marquee fixture came from the ICC, which wants representatives from all five Asian member nations present at the game.

“The ICC has taken this decision. The major stakeholders in the Asian block, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have been invited to watch the match together and hold discussions,” Islam said.

When asked whether the meeting could help thaw relations with the BCCI, Islam replied, “You can consider it as something like that.”

The friction between the BCCI and BCB began after the Indian board directed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from his contract, citing unspecified “developments all around.” The move triggered speculation amid reports of political violence in Bangladesh, including attacks on minority communities.

Subsequently, Bangladesh refused to travel to India for their scheduled World Cup matches, citing security concerns. However, the ICC, led by former BCCI secretary Jay Shah, rejected those concerns after conducting its own assessment, describing the threat perception as low to moderate.

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Despite extensive discussions, Bangladesh did not reverse its stance and was eventually replaced by Scotland in the tournament.

The development further escalated tensions, with Pakistan initially announcing a boycott of its match against India in solidarity with Bangladesh. The standoff was later defused after intervention from the BCB and the Sri Lankan government, persuading Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to withdraw the call.

Following fresh negotiations, the ICC opted not to penalise Bangladesh for its earlier position and also awarded the country hosting rights for one ICC event in the 2028–2031 cycle.

Islam said the BCB plans to formalise assurances through a detailed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

“We will enter into an agreement, a line-by-line MoU-type document, so that there is no uncertainty,” he said.

He added that a similar framework had been used during a past Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Annual General Meeting in Dhaka to prevent any deviation from agreed terms.

“Discussions with the ICC regarding this MoU are almost finalised,” Islam said.