CHENNAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) officially replaced Bangladesh with Scotland for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India. They took the extreme step after the Asian outfit refused to travel to India citing security concerns for their contingent. But the ICC, after considering independent security assessments from internal and external experts, assured the team that there was no 'credible or verifiable security threat to Bangladesh national team, officials or supporters in India'.
"In light of these findings," they said in a media release on Saturday evening, "and after careful consideration of the broader implications, the ICC determined that it was not appropriate to amend the published the event schedule. The ICC also noted the importance of preserving the integrity and sanctity of the tournament schedule, safeguarding the interests of all participating teams and fans, and avoiding the establishment of precedents that could undermine the neutrality and fairness of ICC events."
Bangladesh wanted their games to be moved to Sri Lanka. They also suggested swapping their group with Ireland but the ICC remained steadfast. Both parties had a couple of meetings but there was no end to the impasse. It's to be noted that the Bangladesh government arrived at this decision of not sending their team to the World Cup in India.
As far as the ICC is concerned, they undertook 'an extensive process' to 'address concerns raised by the 'BCB'. "The decision follows an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of its scheduled matches in India," they added in the release.
"Over a period of more than three weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB through multiple rounds of dialogue conducted in a transparent and constructive manner, including meetings held both via video conference and in-person. As part of this process, the ICC reviewed the concerns cited by the BCB, commissioned and considered independent security assessments from internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans covering federal and state arrangements, as well as enhanced and escalating security protocols for the event. These assurances were reiterated at several stages, including during discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board."
Bangladesh may have the option of going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but with less than two weeks to go before the start of the tournament it remains to be seen if they have enough time to reverse this verdict in the highest court.
This entire issue began when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked the Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Mustafizur Rahman, the Bangladesh pacer, from their roster for the upcoming IPL season. Rahman had been signed by the franchise for `9.2 cr at the auction but after a few BJP leaders had vented their ire at Shah Rukh Khan for buying Rahman at the time of heightened diplomatic tensions between the two nations, the BCCI felt they had no option.
In return, the Bangladesh government first cancelled all IPL broadcasts for this year before informing the ICC of their refusal to travel to India for the World Cup.