The Bangladesh Cricket Council (BCB) has responded to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) 1-day ultimatum. Earlier today, the ICC voted on BCB’s request for relocation. The board members unanimously agreed that moving the four T20 World Cup 2026 matches out of India wasn’t feasible.
The BCB had suggested moving them to Group B, with one of Ireland or Zimbabwe coming into Group C. However, Sri Lanka didn’t agree to it. That’s why ICC shot down the idea. Finally, after deliberation, the ICC has given the BCB a chance to change their stand or else get replaced by Scotland.
Bangladesh government to take the final call
The BCB has expressed willingness to play the T20 World Cup. Aminul Islam, President of BCB, hoped that the ICC would agree to their demand, but that hasn’t happened. Now, he’ll discuss the matter with the Bangladesh government one final time. The BCB will send their players to India, despite repeated claims that it isn’t safe for Bangladeshi citizens, if the government permits them to.
According to India Today, Aminul and a group of BCB directors will meet with Asif Nazrul, the Bangladesh government’s sports advisor, later tonight to discuss the matter. The final decision will be taken tomorrow, when the Bangladesh government will hold a special cabinet meeting.
“I am hoping for a miracle from the ICC. Who doesn’t want to play the World Cup? We can’t really comment after the ICC’s press release. The meeting went on for an hour and a half. We explained to the ICC board the reasons for our decision before the voting began. We didn’t want to go into voting. We stepped back.
The Bangladesh players want to play the World Cup. The Bangladesh government wants Bangladesh to play the World Cup. But we don’t think India is safe for our players. We asked them to shift the matches to Sri Lanka. We said that we can switch with Ireland or Zimbabwe. It would have been the easiest way. But Sri Lanka said that we don’t want a new team in our group. After the vote, I told them that I want one last chance to tell my government. They said it’s a valid point, and gave me 24 or 48 hours to get back to them.
I don’t want to put pressure on the government. We know that India is not secure for us. We remain in the stance that we want to play in Sri Lanka. I know the ICC denied us, but we will talk to the government one more time. I will inform the government’s feedback to the ICC. A government doesn’t only consider the players, but they consider all, when it takes a decision,” Aminul said.
Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
| Date | Teams | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Feb 7, 2026 | West Indies vs Bangladesh | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 3:00 PM |
| Mon, Feb 9, 2026 | Bangladesh vs Italy | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 11:00 AM |
| Sat, Feb 14, 2026 | England vs Bangladesh | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 3:00 PM |
| Tue, Feb 17, 2026 | Bangladesh vs Nepal | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 7:00 PM |
