ICC letter shows conditions not suitable for Bangladesh team in India, says Asif Nazrul
\n Dhaka
\nBangladesh\u2019s sports adviser Asif Nazrul on Monday called the International Cricket Council\u2019s (ICC) expectations to drop Mustafizur Rahman from the national team \u201cbizarre\u201d and \u201cunrealistic\u201d.
\nSpeaking to the media, the sports adviser slammed the ICC for its response to the Bangladesh Cricket Board\u2019s (BCB) security concerns about sending the national team to India for the ICC Men\u2019s T20I World Cup 2026 amid tense diplomatic relations.
\nNazrul said: \u201cWe have sent two letters (to the ICC), after which the ICC security team have sent a letter.\u201d The BCB would release the letter to the media at an appropriate time, he added.
\nTensions between the two sides emerged after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released the Bangladeshi fast bowler after being told to do so by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Indian Premier League (IPL) team had said.
\nFollowing the incident, the BCB announced that its national side will not travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, expressing concern \u201cover the overall circumstances\u201d in the country.
\nThe Bangladesh sports adviser said the letter cited three potential security risks: Mustafiz\u2019s inclusion in the squad, Bangladeshi fans wearing team jerseys in India, and upcoming elections in Bangladesh.
\n\u201cThis statement of the ICC security team has proven beyond a doubt that there is no situation for the Bangladesh cricket team to play the T20 World Cup in India,\u201d he added.
\nNazrul said that if the ICC expects them to make a cricket team without our \u201cbest bowler\u201d, our supporters will not be able to wear the Bangladesh jersey, and we will postpone the Bangladesh elections to play cricket, then there can be no \u201cmore bizarre, unrealistic and unreasonable expectation\u201d than this.
\nThe ICC\u2019s letter made it clear that conditions were not conducive for the Bangladesh team to play in India, he added.
\nWithout naming the BCCI, Nazrul said no one should have a monopoly over cricket. He maintained that the future of any sport or tournament cannot be decided solely on market management.
\n\u201cWe will not compromise on this matter in any way,\u201d Nazrul added.
\nReacting to Nazrul\u2019s statement, the BCB clarified that the ICC\u2019s reply should not be considered as an \u201cofficial response\u201d.
\nIn a statement, the board said that Nazrul referred to the \u201ccontact\u201d between the BCB and the ICC.
\n\u201cThe BCB is still waiting for the ICC\u2019s [official] response,\u201d it added.
\nBangladesh has requested the ICC to shift its matches from India to another venue, the board added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ICC letter shows conditions not suitable for Bangladesh team in India, says Asif Nazrul Dhaka Bangladesh\u2019s sports adviser Asif Nazrul on Monday called the International Cricket Council\u2019s (ICC) expectations to drop Mustafizur Rahman from the national team \u201cbizarre\u201d and \u201cunrealistic\u201d. Speaking to the media, the sports adviser slammed the ICC for its response to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-525298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n