Pakistan may boycott the upcoming T20 World Cup if the International Cricket Council (ICC) replaces Bangladesh over the team’s refusal to play matches in India, reports quoted sources as saying Thursday.
The claim comes after ICC rejected Bangladesh’s demand for relocation of its matches to co-host Sri Lanka amid security concerns in India following deteriorating political relations between the two neighbours.
It may be noted that the security concerns surfaced after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) removed Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) after Hindu extremists’ threats to attack Bangladeshi players.
It was followed by Bangladesh announcing that they would not play their matches in India, questioning that if India could not provide security to one player, how could it assure the safety of the entire team.
However, the ICC Board rejected Bangladesh’s request during a meeting on Wednesday, maintaining that the tournament schedule will proceed as planned.
The cricket watchdog said the decision was based on comprehensive security assessments, including independent reviews, which found no threat to Bangladesh players, officials, media personnel or fans at any tournament venue in India.
An ICC spokesperson on Wednesday explained that the organisation engaged with the BCB in sustained dialogue over several weeks, sharing independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from host authorities.
The spokesperson noted that the BCB maintained its position by linking its participation to “a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its player’s involvement in a domestic league”, emphasising that it had no bearing on the tournament’s security framework or participation conditions.
The Bangladeshi government will reportedly take national players into confidence over the matter today, after which a final decision is expected.