The Bangladesh Cricket Board has reached a deadlock with the International Cricket Council, refusing to move from its position that the national team will not tour India for the upcoming T20 World Cup. With the tournament set to begin on February 7, BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul confirmed on Friday that the board is yet to receive a response regarding its demand to shift matches to co-host Sri Lanka.
The standoff has plunged Bangladesh’s participation into uncertainty, exacerbated by a domestic "civil war" within the board and candid admissions from players about the psychological toll of the pre-tournament chaos.
The BCB’s apprehension stems from what it describes as credible security concerns. Tensions spiked following the BCCI’s directive to IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman for "unspecified reasons." Reports suggest the move was linked to political and religious sensitivities following attacks on hindus in Bangladesh.
President Bulbul rejected the idea of moving games to alternate Indian cities like Hyderabad or Chennai. "Any alternate Indian venue at the end of the day is an Indian venue," Bulbul told reporters. "We have sent all the attachments and proofs of our concern to the ICC. We are standing where we had been a few days back."
Bangladesh is currently scheduled to play three group matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. Bulbul emphasized that the board is awaiting the ICC’s "diktat" but hinted that the final call rests with the Bangladesh government.
While the board battles the ICC externally, it is facing a revolt from its own players internally. BCB Director M. Nazrul Islam sparked outrage by publicly labelling former captain Tamim Iqbal an "Indian agent" and a "traitor" on social media. The comment followed Tamim’s advice to the board to avoid making emotional decisions regarding the World Cup.
The Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) and senior players including Taskin Ahmed and Mominul Haque have condemned the remarks.
Mominul Haque: "A senior cricketer was deliberately humiliated in public. It shows a lack of basic decorum."
Taskin Ahmed: "Such remarks are not helpful for the interest of Bangladesh cricket."
Bulbul has since sought an explanation from the director, distancing the board from the comments by calling them "personal opinion," but the damage to team morale appears big.
Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto provided a rare, unfiltered look into the dressing room, admitting that the constant "wrangling" and controversy ahead of major tournaments have a crippling effect on performance.
"We act as if nothing affects us since we are professional cricketers," Shanto said. "But even you know that it affects us. It is not easy. It is better if these things didn’t happen."
Shanto slammed the "guardian" board for failing to protect its players, specifically referring to the insults directed at Tamim Iqbal. "Parents should correct you at home, not in front of everyone. I completely reject it as a player," he added.