The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are in no mood to relent from its stance of not playing in India for the T20 World Cup. The body is adamant about playing its fixtures in Sri Lanka, and to meet that demand, the BCB on Saturday made a fresh offer, urging the International Cricket Council (ICC) to swap groups with Ireland. According to a report on Cricbuzz, the Bangladesh board made this offer during a meeting with ICC representatives in Dhaka on Saturday.
Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman (C) celebrates with teammates. (AFP)
The report states that Bangladesh wants to replace Ireland in Group B, asking the ICC to shift Ireland back to its original Group C. It is worth noting that Group B matches are scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka, while Group C games are scheduled to be held in India.
According to the original schedule, Ireland is slated to take on Sri Lanka, Australia and Oman in Colombo, while their last group match is scheduled in Kandy against Zimbabwe.
On the other hand, Bangladesh are in Group C alongside England, Nepal, Italy and the West Indies. The Litton Das-led side is slated to play three matches at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, while their last league stage fixture is slated to go ahead at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
The BCB first asked the ICC to move their matches out of India after the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad due to the BCCI diktat.
The BCCI ordered KKR because of the recent developments, which saw multiple incidents of Hindus being killed in Bangladesh. Ever since KKR picked Rahman for INR 9.20 crore, the franchise and co-owner, Shah Rukh Khan, has been targeted by several politicians for going against national sentiment.
ICC-BCB back-and-forth
Earlier this week, the ICC had urged the BCB to revisit their stance and come to India for the World Cup. However, after consultations with the government, the BCB remained firm in its demand.
A delegation from ICC touched base in Bangladesh on Saturday morning, and the apex body is trying its best to convince the BCB to play its matches in India.
The BCB released an official statement on Saturday regarding the meeting, and the board confirmed that the matter of switching groups was indeed discussed.
“The BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka. The Board also shared the Bangladesh Government’s views and concerns on safety and security of the team, Bangladeshi fans, media and other stakeholders,” the statement said.
“The discussions were conducted in a constructive, cordial and professional manner, with all parties engaging openly on the relevant issues. Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” it added.