The uncertainty surrounding Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup persists. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has informed the ICC of security concerns regarding playing matches at Indian venues. Amidst this three-way contention involving Bangladesh, India, and the ICC, Pakistani media speculated that if Bangladesh does not play the World Cup, Pakistan might also boycott the tournament. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has directly denied any such decision.
The UAE-based news outlet Gulf News reported this, citing a source close to the PCB, stating that while Pakistan supports Bangladesh, it has no intention of boycotting the World Cup.
All of Bangladesh’s group stage matches in the upcoming T20 World Cup are scheduled to be held in India. Citing security risks, the BCB has already held two meetings with the ICC, demanding that these matches be relocated to another country. However, despite the BCB remaining firm on its stance in both meetings, the ICC has stated that it will not make any changes to the schedule.
Meanwhile, the ICC has reportedly asked Bangladesh to communicate its final decision by next Wednesday. According to a report by the cricket website ESPNcricinfo, if Bangladesh opts not to participate in the World Cup in India, Scotland could be given the opportunity as a replacement team based on their ranking.
Earlier, some Pakistani media outlets claimed that Pakistan might reconsider its participation in support of Bangladesh’s demands. It was even suggested that the PCB had expressed interest in hosting Bangladesh’s World Cup matches.
Pakistani news outlet Geo Super, citing a source, reported that Pakistan had temporarily suspended its practice sessions due to Bangladesh’s uncertainty. However, another PCB source later clarified to Gulf News that a World Cup boycott by Pakistan is out of the question.
It is worth noting that this tension began following the exclusion of Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL. Subsequently, the Kolkata Knight Riders announced Mustafiz’s release. In response, the BCB communicated its decision not to play the World Cup in India, citing security concerns, and sent a letter to the ICC demanding a change of venues for the matches.
