How Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup hopes unravelled

With events unfolding over more than three weeks, the International Cricket Council (ICC) today officially confirmed that Bangladesh will be replaced by Scotland in the upcoming T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India from February 7. The sequence of events is as follows:

Jan 3:

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders drop Mustafizur Rahman from their squad on instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul instructs the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to request the ICC to move Bangladesh’s World Cup matches outside India and calls for IPL broadcasts in Bangladesh to be halted.

Jan 4:

BCB formally requests the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches, citing security concerns and following government advice. The board also announces Bangladesh’s 15-member T20 World Cup squad.

Jan 5:

The interim government decides to suspend IPL broadcasts.

Jan 6:

The ICC writes back and seeks detailed security observations from the BCB regarding travel to India.

Jan 8:

BCB sends a second letter to the ICC, reiterating its relocation request with detailed security observations.

Jan 12:

Asif Nazrul reaffirms Bangladesh’s stance against travelling to India and refers to three security points raised by the ICC Security team through inter-departmental communication between the ICC and the BCB.

Jan 17:

An ICC delegate arrives in Bangladesh for further discussions, with another ICC delegate, Gaurav Saxena, joining the meeting virtually. Both parties maintain their initial stance.

Jan 21:

The ICC again rejects Bangladesh’s relocation request and gives the BCB one day to consult the government during a virtual meeting. The meeting includes a vote on Bangladesh’s relocation request, with the majority voting against it. The ICC issues a press release confirming the schedule remains unchanged, with Bangladesh’s matches in India. BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul says he is waiting for a “miracle from ICC.”

Jan 22:

Bulbul and Asif Nazrul meet with cricketers for the first time during the period. The BCB seeks intervention from the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee after Asif Nazrul states there is “no scope” to travel to India due to security concerns.

Jan 24:

The ICC confirms Scotland as Bangladesh’s replacement in the T20 World Cup after no agreement is reached.