"They played in one ground, it was a privilege": BCB President accuses ICC of double standards over T20 WC venue row

Dhaka [Bangladesh], January 22 (ANI): Amid the International Cricket Council (ICC) denying to Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) request to shift their ICC Men's T20 World Cup fixtures outside India, BCB President Aminul Islam has accused ICC of double standards, citing the governing body's decision to allow India to play their 2025 Champions Trophy matches in the UAE instead of Pakistan.
Speaking to the media in Dhaka on Thursday after the BCB stood firm on their stance of not travelling to India for their World Cup fixtures following a meeting between the national sports adviser, the BCB and national cricketers, Aminul Islam said India were given the "privilege" of playing all their Champions Trophy matches at one venue, in Dubai.
Aminul Islam's remarks come after a meeting in Dhaka between Asif Nazrul, adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, BCB president Aminul Islam and CEO Nizamuddin, and several national team players, including Nurul Hasan, Shamim Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Jaker Ali, Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan.
"When a country refused to travel to another country for the Champions Trophy last February, the ICC organised a neutral venue for them. The team played all their Champions Trophy matches in that neutral venue. They played in one ground, staying in one hotel. It was a privilege," Aminul Islam said as per ESPNcricinfo.
The T20 World Cup will kick off on February 7, with India and Sri Lanka to co-host the tournament. Aminul Islam also said he told the ICC that it could adopt the hybrid model of allowing Bangladesh to play in Sri Lanka.
"We are calling Sri Lanka co-hosts, but they are not co-hosts. Sri Lanka is part of the hybrid model where one country is going to play," Aminul said. "We indicated to the ICC that since our government is reluctant (to let us play in India), we want to take that option. Still, they denied our request. We will communicate with the ICC today. We are ready to play the World Cup in Sri Lanka. We don't want to play in India," he added.
The ICC Board had previously approved a hybrid model for India-Pakistan matches, allowing Pakistan to host the 2025 Champions Trophy while India played in the UAE.
Similarly, Pakistan played their 2025 women's ODI World Cup matches in Sri Lanka while India hosted the tournament.
There has been some strain in India's ties with Bangladesh over rising incidents of crimes against minorities in the country. Last year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League 2026 squad amid demands following atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.
Following Rahman's removal from the IPL, BCB cited growing concerns about the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent as the reason for not travelling to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Asif Nazrul stated that they won't travel to India, and it is the government's decision not to play in India due to security concerns.
Nazrul said that there is no opportunity to reverse the decision to travel to India to participate in the T20 World Cup. He mentioned that the ICC and the Indian government failed to convince them on security concerns in India.
"Let me tell you clearly. It is the government's decision not to play in India due to security concerns," Asif Nazrul said on Thursday.
"ICC has failed to convince us on the security question. ICC has not taken any stand on our grievances. Even the Indian government did not communicate with us, or try to assuage our fears, they haven't said that it was an isolated incident, they haven't apologised, and they haven't proposed any new security measures. The ICC hasn't shown us any goodwill either," he said.
ICC on Wednesday rejected the BCB's request to move their matches out of India for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup via video conference, which was convened to discuss the way forward.
As per the current schedule, Bangladesh are scheduled to kick off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7 against two-time champions West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The Litton Das-led side will then face Italy on February 9 at the same venue before facing England in Kolkata again. After facing England, Bangladesh are scheduled to travel to Mumbai to play Nepal at Wankhede Stadium. (ANI)