NEW DELHI: Bangladesh on Thursday dug in its heels, refusing to send its national team to India for next month's T20 World Cup despite the ICC rejecting its request for a change of venue - a stance that has effectively opened the door for Scotland to replace them in the tournament.
The ICC had issued an ultimatum on Wednesday, asking Bangladesh to confirm its participation in India or face exclusion, stating there was no credible security threat to players, officials or supporters. The board was given a 24-hour window to convey its final decision.
Scotland, next in line based on tournament rankings, stands to benefit if Bangladesh is formally dropped from the competition scheduled to begin on February 7.
Pakistan threatens T20 World Cup boycott after ICC rejects Bangladesh request
Taking a firm position, Bangladesh's sports advisor Asif Nazrul said after a meeting with national team players that the ICC's assessment was unacceptable, reiterating the country's refusal to play its matches in India.
Cricket Scotland refuses to comment
It is still not clear whether ICC has intimated Cricket Scotland as their CEO Trudy Lindblade didn't offer any comments.
"We cannot comment on this developing situation. If the circumstances change, we will issue an official media release on our website," Charles Paterson, head of communications of Cricket Scotland responded to a query from PTI.
"While our cricketers have worked hard to qualify for the World Cup, the security risk regarding playing in India remains unchanged. This concern is not based on abstract analysis...," Nazrul said in a press conference while declaring that the country won't play in India.
"...we are not convinced that they can ensure the safety of our entire team, journalists, and spectators.
Bangladesh hopeful of justice from ICC
"We are not giving up hope yet; our team is ready. We expect the ICC to provide justice by considering our genuine security risks and allowing us to play in Sri Lanka," he added.
Bangladesh are due to play four games in India (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai). The country raised security concerns after pacer Mustafizur Rahman was ousted from the IPL on BCCI's instructions for unspecified "developments all around."
"It is crucial to weigh the loss of not playing against the potential catastrophe of pushing players, fans, and journalists into a risky regional political situation. This is a government decision, as the state is responsible for determining whether its citizens face security risks abroad," Nazrul asserted.
No security threat
The ICC on Wednesday refused to accept its security concerns, saying that the Bangladesh Cricket Board was repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a "single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its player's involvement in a domestic league."
"In the absence of any independent security findings that materially compromise the safety of the Bangladesh team, the ICC is unable to relocate fixtures," the ICC had stated.
"Doing so would carry significant logistical and scheduling consequences for other teams and fans worldwide, and would also create far-reaching precedent-related challenges that risk undermining the neutrality, fairness, and integrity of ICC governance," it added.
"Players understand"
Nazrul was asked if the players, who have repeatedly pleaded for an amicable solution that takes into account their welfare, have been brought on board for a boycott of the premier tournament.
"We met with the players to explain the context and the government's reasoning behind this decision. As this was a privileged communication, the specifics of what the players said will not be disclosed to allow them to speak freely, but they seemed to understand the situation," Nazrul responded.
"Bangladesh is a populous, cricket-loving nation with nearly 200 million fans. If the ICC fails to accommodate us, it will be a significant loss for world cricket and a failure for the host country," he said.
Former captain Tamim Iqbal, and current Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto were among the prominent players' voices who demanded that the welfare of the cricketers be made the priority by administrators in both the BCB and the government.
Iqbal was even called "an agent of India" by a senior functionary of the BCB for suggesting that Bangladesh avoid a hard-line approach.
Players stand to lose massively in remuneration given the current situation and BCB director Nazmul Islam had caused an uproar by saying that they would not be compensated as they have failed to produce any significant results in ICC events.
Islam was forced to resign as head of BCB's finance committee as a result of the players' outrage.
(With PTI Inputs)
