Will keep fighting: Aminul hopes Bangladesh can play matches in Sri Lanka
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam Bulbul said the board “will keep on fighting” to ensure Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on February 7 and co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. He reiterated that Bangladesh are ready to take part in the tournament if their matches are held in Sri Lanka.
Bulbul made the remarks following a meeting on Thursday between the Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul, the BCB president and national team players at a city hotel. The meeting was the first such interaction with the players regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the marquee event and was attended by captains Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
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After Asif Nazrul said that “there is no scope for the Bangladesh team to travel there to compete in the ICC T20 World Cup as the security situation in India had not changed,” Aminul briefed the media.
“We take great pride in Bangladesh cricket, but we are concerned about world cricket,” Bulbul said. “At a time when world cricket is losing popularity, if the ICC leaves out a cricket-loving country like Bangladesh, the ICC will miss out. A country of almost 200 million people…. we kept believing throughout these days that each and every one of our people would wake up in the morning and would receive the news that Bangladesh are playing in the World Cup and the ICC has accepted their request.
“We will carry on trying. We have not given up yet. We will communicate with them again today so that our boys can play the World Cup.
“We have one need. We want to play in the World Cup. At this point, we don’t want to go to India. We want to play in Sri Lanka. We are ready, our team is ready.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected the BCB’s request to relocate Bangladesh’s matches from India and decided to keep the tournament schedule unchanged following a board meeting. The ICC also gave the BCB a one-day deadline to decide, after consulting with the government, whether the team would travel to India for the tournament.
“A global organisation can’t set a 24-hour deadline like this. We will keep fighting,” Bulbul said.
Referring to a previous ICC event, he added: “February last year, when a country refused to compete in the Champions Trophy owing to security concerns, and when they conveyed their government’s decision to the ICC, it provided a neutral venue for them. Their team stayed in the same hotel, played all of their matches at the same venue for the entire Champions Trophy. It was a privilege.
“We all know about the hybrid model. All of us are calling Sri Lanka a co-host [for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup], but they are not the co-host, they are hosting matches as a part of that hybrid model.
“We gave its reference, we said as the hybrid model was introduced due to security concerns and the government’s reluctance, we took that line of discussion and tried to convince the ICC. But they rejected our request. We will again try today to explore whatever options available to speak with the ICC.
“You have heard that there was a vote yesterday. I don’t want to disclose the numbers because the ICC told us not to, but I can see a number in different places.”
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