T20 World Cup 2026: In an interesting development, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has dissociated itself from Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul's latest 'remarks' on the Cricket team's T20 World Cup matches in India on Monday. Notably, Nazrul stated that ‘there is no situation whatsoever’ for Bangladesh going ahead with its 2026 T20 World Cup matches in India. BCB, in response, has stated that the comments by Nazrul should be seen in isolation, as it is not an official statement from the organisation.
Earlier, Nazrul claimed to have received a written communication from the ICC in which the governing body raised security concerns for their players in India. In an event in Bangladesh, he stated that ICC had conveyed to him about 'risks' if Bangladesh includes arguably their best fast-bowler, Mustafizur Rahman, in the squad.
Also, he stated that there is a risk if Bangladeshi fans go out in India publicly wearing their national jersey.
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“The correspondence cited today by the Adviser for the Ministry of Youth & Sports was in reference to an internal communication between the BCB and the ICC’s Security Department related to threat assessments for the Bangladesh team ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. This does not constitute a formal response from the ICC to the BCB’s request for the relocation of Bangladesh’s matches outside India," the BCB statement said.
Bangladesh Open To Shifting Matches To Pakistan!
Originally, Bangladesh are scheduled to play three group-stage matches in Kolkata and a fourth in Mumbai. The BCB wrote to the ICC requesting a change in light of Rahman’s unprecedented ouster from the IPL, engineered by the BCCI’s directive to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Nazrul had said that he’d be open to their matches shifting to co-hosts Sri Lanka or even Pakistan and the UAE.
Although avoiding a direct comment, BCB maintained its stance of wanting the venue shifted.
“The BCB reiterates that it has formally raised concerns regarding venue arrangements and has requested relocation of Bangladesh’s matches outside India in the interest of the team’s security. The Board confirms that it is still awaiting an official response from the ICC on this matter," it added.
Security Risk In India 'Low', Bangladesh Matches Unlikely To Be Shifted Out Of India
As per a report by ANI, stating that independent risk assessments, carried out by internationally recognised security experts, do not conclude that Bangladesh cannot play its scheduled T20 World Cup matches in India, noting that the overall security risk for the tournament in India has been assessed as low to moderate, which is consistent with the profile of many major global sporting events, quoting ICC sources.
Inputs from ANI