Bangladesh face deadline over refusal to play Twenty20 World Cup matches in India

Cricket’s governing body has told Bangladesh to agree to play their matches at next month’s T20 World Cup in India or risk being kicked out of the tournament, reports said on Monday.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is refusing to play in India, citing security concerns, and have asked the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift their matches to co-hosts Sri Lanka.

The BCB held talks in Dhaka at the weekend with ICC officials over the impasse, but no agreement was reached.

“During the discussions, the BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka,” a BCB statement said.

The ICC have not officially commented, but website Cricinfo and other Indian media reported on Monday that the deadline of Wednesday had been set for Dhaka to make a decision.

ICC sources have told AFP that Bangladesh could be replaced by Scotland, who are the highest-ranked team who did not qualify for the World Cup.

The T20 World Cup begins on Feb.7 with Bangladesh in England’s Group C and scheduled to play all of their group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai.

One suggestion was for Bangladesh to swap with Group B’s Ireland, whose matches are in Sri Lanka.

“Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” said the BCB.

Pakistan will play all their matches in Colombo under an ICC agreement with India to play at neutral venues in global or regional tournaments.

The row erupted on Jan.3, when the IPL’s Kolkata Knight Riders were ordered by India’s cricket board to drop Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, sparking fury in Dhaka.

Political relations between India and Bangladesh soured after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.

Pakistan halts team’s T20 WC preparations in support of Bangladesh

Acting on their threat to withdraw from the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in support of Bangladesh’s demand to move their matches out of India, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has halted their team’s preparations for the event, according to a news report.

A day after Pakistan threatened to pull out of the T20 World Cup if Bangladesh’s demand to relocate their matches out of India was not accepted, the PCB has acted and asked the team to ease up on their preparations for the event, Telecom Asia Sport reported on Monday.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has put on hold all preparations for the national team ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, with the team management briefed about the plans,” top PCB sources told www.telecomasia.net.

Pakistan has expressed full support for Bangladesh’s decision not to travel to India over security fears during a contact between Dhaka and Islamabad on Saturday. PCB’s chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, is part of the coalition government as Interior Minister, holds a prominent place as a Senator, and is well-versed in Pakistan’s outreach to Bangladesh on various issues, the report said.

“Naqvi was part of the talks between the Pakistan and Bangladesh governments on Saturday, telling them that Pakistan fully backs Bangladesh and will reconsider its own participation in the event in case Bangladesh’s demands are not resolved as per their wish,” the report quoted sources as telling www.telecomasia.net

Sources said the PCB has informed the government that Pakistan’s pullout will not be easy, as they will have to present the government’s advice and provide a valid reason. If they fail to provide a valid reason, they may face a fine of up to two million dollars for violating the Member’s Participation Agreement, which all members sign with the ICC.

PCB, sources said, has also offered to host Bangladesh’s fixtures in the T20 World Cup if venues in Sri Lanka are unavailable.

Agencies