CHENNAI: After another day of discussion in Dhaka, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to swap group that would allow them to play in Sri Lanka. The BCB apparently has been quiet adamant that it would not play in India because of security concerns to their players and fans, and as reported by this newspaper on Wednesday, is more inclined towards playing in Sri Lanka.
The BCB had suggested that they should be moved form Group C where they have to play West Indies, Italy, England and Nepal to Group B in place of Ireland. Group B also includes hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman and Zimbabwe. It needs to be seen if the ICC agrees to such a request, especially with Cricket Ireland saying that the global cricketing body has given them definite assurances of playing in Sri Lanka.
The BCB had a meeting with two-member ICC delegate -- Gaurav Saxena, General Manager, Events and Corporate Communications, and Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager, Integrity Unit -- in Dhaka on Saturday. Ephgrave has attended the meeting in person while Saxena virtually as he did not get a visa on time. "During the discussions, 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," said BCB in a statement.
"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," said BCB. Bangladesh play their first match against the West Indies on February 7 in Kolkata. They play three games in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.
From the BCB's side, its chief Mohammad Aminul Islam and vice presidents, director and Chairman of Cricket Operations Committee Nazmul Abedeen and Chief Executive Officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury were present. It is understood that swapping groups could be difficult and the ICC may not agree to BCB demands. The whole issue started after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the KKR team on Indian cricket board's directive. Bangladesh are scheduled to play on
ICC have given us definite assurances: Ireland
The world governing body has assured the Ireland cricket board that their team will play all their group stage games in Sri Lanka as per the original schedule. Over the last few days, some reports had suggested that Bangaldesh's request to play their games in Sri Lanka would result in a group swap arrangement with Ireland. But an Irish board source has confirmed to this daily that Ireland's original schedule remains. "We've received definitive assurances that we won't move from the original schedule," the source told this daily. "We're definitely playing the Group Stage in Sri Lanka." Ireland open their campaign against the co-hosts on February 8 before facing Australia (February 11) and Oman (February 14).