KARACHI: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (PCB) is firm in its decision not to send its national men’s cricket team to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup despite the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejecting its request.
Bangladesh has refused to play its matches in India, citing concerns over player safety, and has requested to play its matches in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament with India.
Following the ICC’s rejection of the request, PCB president Aminul Islam said he would seek more time from the cricket governing body to talk to his government “one last time”.
“They (ICC) said it was the right point and gave me 24 or 48 hours to get back to them. I don’t want to put pressure on the government. We know India is not safe for us. We are in a position to play Sri Lanka,” he added.
Acknowledging the ICC’s decision to keep the schedule of the tournament unchanged, Islam said he would consult the government and convey its opinion to the ICC.
“I expect a miracle from the ICC,” he said, adding that the players and the government wanted Bangladesh to play in the World Cup.
“But we don’t think India is safe for our players. A government doesn’t consider only the players but they consider everyone when they take a decision,” the BCB chief added.
The ICC announced its decision on Bangladesh’s request after a panel meeting earlier in the day.
“The decision was taken after all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, indicated that there is no threat to Bangladeshi players, media, officials and fans at any match venue in India,” the ICC said in its statement.
The cricket-governing body said it was “impossible to make changes” so close to the match.
Furthermore, the ICC said that changing the schedule in the absence of any credible security threat could set a precedent that would affect the sanctity of future ICC events.
According to the schedule, Bangladesh are tied in Group C and are scheduled to play their first three group matches against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9 and England on February 14 in Kolkata before concluding the group stage against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.