Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam Bulbul on Friday said the board is yet to receive any response from the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding its concerns over playing at venues in India for the upcoming T20 World Cup, reiterating that the BCB’s position remains unchanged.
Bangladesh have expressed reluctance to tour India for the tournament, scheduled to begin on February 7, and have sought to shift their matches to co-host Sri Lanka citing security concerns.
The BCB’s apprehensions followed the release of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders on the instructions of the BCCI for unspecified reasons, amid reports of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.
“We haven’t yet received any reply from the ICC. We have sent all the attachments and proofs of our concern,” Bulbul told media persons here.
The BCB chief said the board has clearly conveyed its position to the global governing body and stressed that moving matches to another Indian city would not address their concerns.
“Any alternate Indian venue at the end of the day is an Indian venue. You all know that no unilateral decision can be taken and we have to abide by the government’s diktat. We are standing where we had been a few days back.” The BCB chief said the board would wait for the ICC’s response before taking any further call.
“I can’t comment on what we will do if we aren’t allowed to play in Sri Lanka unless the ICC sends its response,” he added.
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Bangladesh are scheduled to play three of their group matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.
Bulbul also said he was unaware of reports suggesting Hyderabad and Chennai as possible replacement venues.
“I haven’t heard about Hyderabad and Chennai being replacement venues. We might come to know maybe on Monday or Tuesday.” Expressing confidence in the national side, Bulbul said Bangladesh have the pedigree to perform well, particularly in sub-continental conditions.
“I believe Bangladesh is a big team in world cricket. We have played the quarterfinals of the 2015 ODI World Cup, we played the Champions Trophy semifinals and in sub-continental conditions we have a good chance of doing well,” he said.
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Addressing the recent controversy involving former skipper Tamim Iqbal, Bulbul said a BCB director publicly calling the senior cricketer a “traitor” was an expression of personal opinion and that he had sought an explanation from the concerned official.
“It was the personal opinion of the director and I have asked him to give clarification. Tamim has achieved so much and he should have kept that in mind while putting his opinion in public,” Bulbul said.
Reflecting on his tenure, Bulbul said the phase had been educative for the board.
“It’s a learning experience for 25 board of directors. It’s a mix of ups and downs. But country comes first,” he added.
