Asif Nazrul, sports advisor to the Bangladesh government, didn’t hold back on Wednesday. He said he’ll do everything he can to get the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup games to a different country.
According to him, the ICC just isn’t getting how serious Bangladesh’s concerns really are.
Bangladesh Pushes ICC to Move T20 World Cup Matches
Cricbuzz had already reported that Nazrul would meet with BCB directors to talk things over after the board got a letter from the ICC. Bangladesh had formally asked for a venue change, telling the ICC they can’t travel to India after the mess with Mustafizur Rahman, when the BCCI told Kolkata Knight Riders to drop the Bangladeshi pacer.
The ICC replied, basically saying nothing’s changing. They claimed there’s no info pointing to security issues for Bangladesh during the tournament. Nazrul didn’t buy it.
“We sat down with the BCB directors, Bulbul, Faruque, everyone. We talked it out and agreed: Bangladesh earned its World Cup spot through hard work. We’re crazy about cricket. Of course we want to play,” Nazrul told reporters after the meeting.
“But we’re not going to do it if it means humiliating our country, risking our players, fans, or journalists, or losing our dignity. After reading the ICC’s letter, it feels like they just don’t get how serious the situation is for Bangladeshi cricketers in India,” he said.
Asif Nazrul Slams ICC, Seeks Venue Change
Honestly, for Nazrul, it’s not just a security issue; it’s also about national pride. “When the Indian cricket board tells the Kolkata team they can’t guarantee security for Mustafizur, and he has to be dropped, that’s a clear sign. There’s no safe environment for us to play in India,” he said.
He didn’t want to get into broader issues in India, but made it clear: “When it’s about the safety of our team, the honor and dignity of Bangladesh, there’s no compromise. We want to play in the World Cup, and since Sri Lanka is another host, we want to play there instead. We’re set on this.”
Nazrul hopes the ICC will listen. “We have strong arguments, and we’ll make our case. On Bangladesh’s security, our honor, our dignity, there’s no room for compromise. But yes, we want to play.”
He added that Bangladesh will decide what to do next based on how the ICC responds. “We’ll send the letter tonight or tomorrow morning. Whatever happens, we’ll meet again and decide. For now, our message to the ICC is clear: it’s not safe for us to play in India,” he said.
The sentiments that Nazrul had, were echoed by the BCB president Aminul Islam who said that the concerns of the board was not about the players only.
‘Do not want to play World Cup at the cost of national humiliation’
“You have heard how we explained to the ICC the value of security issues to us. It is within our power to take care of the players. However, beyond that, there is a huge contingent of involved people, journalists, sponsors and cricket-loving spectators. The board cannot ensure security to all people and this is why we are seeking government directives. We require a government order in case we have any overseas tour. We came to ask what that order was. We shall keep struggling to attain our rights in this World Cup, unless safety and security is enhanced,” said Bulbul.
This is a matter of reasonable issues. We have competed in so many world cups – have we ever complained about this before? The reason we brought it up so hard this time was because we really felt like it, he said.
We shall explain this to the ICC, such as our honourable minister has told. Security issues have been experienced before, as a result of this. Security is the motivation behind the hybrid tournaments. Hopefully, we shall have time to prove our grounds.
India was not taking part in Pakistan in the Champions Trophy. Pakistan will not visit India as well. We want an answer [of ICC],” he said.
Aminul also rejected news that the ICC had already expressed its decision that the matches of Bangladesh would not be relocated to Sri Lanka.
There is a propaganda that the ICC has declared that it is not possible to play in Sri Lanka. I would define that propaganda as false news. We have received contact with the ICC once. They enquired on what the problems were, and we told them. Now, I shall put them in writing to them what those issues are, concluded he.
ALSO READ: ‘My mom was so angry…’: Lionel Messi Reveals Reason For Leaving Newell’s Old Boys To Join Barcelona
