ICC rejects Bangladesh's request to avoid Indian pitches in the T20 series

The Bangladesh team is currently facing a severe crisis regarding its participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected Bangladesh's request to move their matches, scheduled to be held in India, to another country, and even the last-minute support from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not been able to change the decision of the ICC authorities.

At the emergency ICC Board meeting held on Wednesday (January 21) to make a decision on this matter, 14 out of 16 members voted against Bangladesh's request, with only Bangladesh and Pakistan voting in favor. Following this virtual discussion, the ICC has issued a final notice to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which had consistently maintained a strong stance on moving its matches out of India.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has been given 24 hours to decide whether they are ready to travel to India for this World Cup tournament, which will be held from February 7 to March 8. If they do not comply, the ICC has decided to replace them with another country. BCB authorities are expected to seek advice from their government in the next few hours to make a final decision on this matter, and it is reported that if Bangladesh withdraws from the tournament, the vacant spot in Group 'C' may be filled by the Scotland team.

Although Pakistan had sent a letter supporting BCB's request, the ICC emphasizes that independent security assessments have confirmed there are no security threats to Bangladeshi players, officials, or journalists in India. For this reason, it has been pointed out that there is no reasonable justification to move the matches to Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh's proposal to swap groups with the Ireland team, which is scheduled to play in Sri Lanka, has also been rejected.

According to the match schedule, Bangladesh is set to play three preliminary round matches against West Indies, Italy, and England in Kolkata on February 7, 9, and 14. Subsequently, their final preliminary round match against Nepal is planned to be held at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 17.

An ICC statement said that this decision was made after considering all reports, including independent security reviews, and that there is no threat to the Bangladesh team at any of the tournament venues. The ICC spokesperson has strongly rejected Bangladesh's argument that there is a connection between Mustafizur Rahman's withdrawal from the IPL tournament and security threats, emphasizing that it was merely an isolated incident and not related to the security arrangements for the World Cup tournament.