Bangladesh’s exclusion from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has sparked fresh controversy, with reports now claiming that the ICC has rejected accreditation applications from all Bangladeshi journalists for the upcoming tournament.
Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland at the T20 World Cup after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send its team to India. According to The Daily Star, the fallout has extended beyond the field, with between 130 and 150 Bangladeshi journalists reportedly denied media accreditation for the event, which begins on February 9 and will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
The development was confirmed by BCB media committee chairman Amzad Hossain, who said that, to his knowledge, every Bangladeshi journalist who applied had been rejected.
“As far as I know, all Bangladeshi journalists were rejected. Around 130 to 150 journalists applied this year, but none received accreditation,” Amzad said.
The report further claimed that several Bangladeshi photojournalists who initially received approval emails on January 20 and 21, along with visa support letters, later had their accreditation withdrawn. One such journalist, Mir Farid, said he was informed days later that his application had been rejected.
Bangladeshi media react strongly
The decision has triggered widespread anger within Bangladesh’s media fraternity, particularly as Bangladeshi journalists have covered ICC tournaments for decades, even during events where the national team did not participate.
Veteran journalist Arifur Rahman Babu, president of the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA), said he was shocked by what he described as a blanket rejection. Babu, who covered the 1996 World Cup despite Bangladesh not featuring in the tournament, pointed out that journalists from Associate Member nations are routinely accredited regardless of their team’s participation.
“Even if a team is not playing, journalists from an ICC Associate Member nation can still receive accreditation. I find no reason why everyone was rejected,” Babu said. “I am surprised, and I strongly condemn and protest this decision.”
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Babu also revealed that discussions are underway with the Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA) and the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Community (BSJC) to determine the next course of action. Options under consideration include sending a formal protest letter to the ICC through the Ministry of Information and the BCB.
He also questioned why arrangements could not have been made for Bangladeshi journalists to cover matches in Sri Lanka, one of the tournament’s co-hosts.
