The issue between Bangladesh and India over the T20 World Cup has once again intensified.
Bangladesh have clearly refused, for a second time, to play the T20 World Cup in India. The Bangladesh’s sports adviser, Asif Nazrul, took a firm position and said that his country is ready to play in any part of the world except India.
He said Bangladesh would have no objection if matches were held in Sri Lanka, Pakistan or the United Arab Emirates. He added that the concern was not limited to Kolkata but extended across the whole of India.
Reacting strongly to the ICC security report, Asif Nazrul said security concerns exist in India and that Bangladeshi supporters could also face risks.
The sports adviser termed restrictions on wearing jerseys and the exclusion of a player from the squad as unacceptable. He said any demand to form a team without leading bowler Mustafizur Rahman was not neutral.
He said that playing cricket in India during elections was not possible. He added that cricket was not the property of any single country and urged the ICC not to come under pressure from India, but to prove its standing as a global body.
He made it clear that Bangladesh have formally requested a change of World Cup venues and sent two letters to the ICC on the matter. "The final decision now rests with the ICC, and Bangladesh is awaiting a response from the international body," Asif Nazrul maintained.
