ICC rejects Bangladesh request to move T20 World Cup matches out of India

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has turned down a request by Bangladesh to move its matches out of India for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The decision was made during an emergency meeting of the ICC board, which was attended by representatives from all member countries. Officials present at the meeting agreed that the existing tournament schedule would remain unchanged.

Indian media reports said that the Bangladesh Cricket Board has been given a 24-hour deadline to confirm whether the team will take part in the event.

The proposal was put before the 16-member ICC board, where only two members supported altering the schedule, while the rest voted against any changes. As a result, the tournament will go ahead as planned from February 7 to March 8.

If Bangladesh opts out of the competition, the ICC is expected to bring in a replacement team, with Scotland emerging as the most likely option based on current rankings. Scotland are placed 14th in the T20I standings and were the highest-ranked side to miss out on qualification.

Bangladesh have been placed in Group C with West Indies, England, Nepal and Italy. Their fixtures include three matches in Kolkata, followed by a final group-stage game in Mumbai.

In a statement after the meeting, the ICC said: “The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media personnel, officials or fans at any of the tournament venues in India.”