Bangladeshi journalists denied accreditation for T20 World Cup
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected accreditation applications from Bangladeshi journalists seeking to cover the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7.
The move effectively bars media representatives from Bangladesh from reporting on matches in either host country. The development comes in the wake of Bangladesh’s earlier decision not to travel to India citing security concerns -- a stance that triggered tensions between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. On January 24, the ICC officially replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament.
BCB media committee chairman Amzad Hossain confirmed the matter to The Daily Star on Monday, saying that between 130 and 150 journalists from Bangladesh had applied for accreditation.
“As far as I know, all Bangladeshi journalists were rejected. Around 130 to 150 journalists applied this year, but none received accreditation,” Amzad said.
Several journalists also claimed that a small number of Bangladeshi photo journalists initially received approval emails on January 20 and 21, only to have their accreditations revoked later.
“I received an approval email from the ICC media department on January 20, which included a visa support letter. But today I received another email saying my application was rejected,” said Mir Farid, special photojournalist of Bengali daily Kaler Kantho.
Although Bangladesh have been part of ICC World Cups since 1999, Bangladeshi journalists have regularly covered global ICC events. Senior journalist Arifur Rahman Babu was among four Bangladeshi reporters who covered the 1996 ICC World Cup, co-hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“Even if a team is not playing, journalists from an ICC Associate Member nation can still receive accreditation. I find no reason why everyone was rejected. I am surprised, and I strongly condemn and protest this decision,” said Arifur, special correspondent of Jagonews24.com.
Arifur, also the president of the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA), said he would consult with two other sports journalists’ bodies -- the Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA) and the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Community (BSJC) -- to determine their next steps.
“It appears the ICC is unhappy that Bangladesh are not participating and has shut the door on Bangladeshi sports journalists. This goes beyond courtesy and professionalism. I think this episode exposed a dark side of the ICC,” he said.
“I will speak with the other two sports journalists’ organisations to explore possible actions. A strong protest letter should be sent to the ICC through the Ministry of Information and the BCB, asking for an explanation. Since Sri Lanka is a co-host, they could have accommodated us there,” he added.
The ICC media department was contacted by The Daily Star for comment, but had not responded at the time of filing this report.
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