BCB denies receiving Jan 21 deadline from ICC for final decision on participating in T20 WC

Dhaka [Bangladesh], January 19 (ANI): Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) denied that a January 21 deadline was set for them by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to decide their participation in the ICC T20 World Cup, starting from February 7 onwards, with media committee chairman Amjad Hossain said that "no specific date" has not been spelled out to them.
As per ICC sources, the world's cricket governing body had earlier given an ultimatum to BCB to give their final decision on whether they will send the Bangladesh cricket team to India or not for the upcoming ICC WC by Wednesday (January 21). If the BCB refuses to send its team to India, the ICC is likely to name a replacement, and, as per the current rankings, it could be Scotland. The T20 World Cup will kick off on February 7, added the sources.
However, speaking to the media in Dhaka, Amjad said, as quoted by Daily Star, "Last Saturday, on January 17, an ICC representative came, and our cricket board representatives held a meeting with him. There, in regards to World Cup participation, there was issue with the venue, and we informed them about our reluctance to play in that venue. We requested an alternate venue ,and we held detailed discussions with the representatives. They told us that they will inform the ICC about the issues and will let us know about the decision later on."
"In regards to these talks, they have not mentioned a specific date or when they will let us know. They just told us that they will let us know when the next discussion will take place. Thank you," he added.
During Saturday's discussions, which marked the second meeting between the two parties in the same week, the BCB once again was firm in their stance of featuring in the T20 World Cup, but outside India. Ever since the release of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) IPL 2026 squad on instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amid ongoing minority atrocities in Bangladesh, BCB has been pushing for matches to be relocated outside India, citing concerns about "safety and security" of players.
On the other hand, ICC is firm on not changing the original schedule, in which Bangladesh is in Group C with Italy, New Zealand, West Indies and Nepal. For three weeks, no final decision has come, and the opening game of Bangladesh is just three weeks away, against the West Indies at Kolkata on February 7. They will play two more group stage matches at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens, followed by their final group stage game in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
During talks on Saturday, it was also understood that ICC did not agree to having Bangladesh and Ireland swap groups, taking Bangladesh to Group B, making them play their opening games in Sri Lanka. ICC is also understood to have assured BCB that India poses no security threats to the Bangladesh team.
ICC sources had said on Monday 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.
The sources said the independent risk assessments did not identify any specific or direct threat to the Bangladesh team, its officials, or the match venues in India. They said that, based on the professional advice received, the risk associated with Bangladesh's scheduled fixtures in Kolkata and Mumbai is assessed as low to moderate, with no indication of risks that cannot be effectively managed through established security planning and mitigation measures.
The sources said that ICC is aware of public comments made in recent days concerning the participation of Bangladesh in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, including selective references to the ICC's security risk assessment. (ANI)