Ireland rejects Bangladesh, puts BCB in trouble with ICC

Sports Desk

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had proposed to change the group with Ireland in the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, Cricket Ireland has rejected the BCB’s proposal. They have confirmed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) will not change Ireland’s group, nor will the schedule change. This has put the BCB, which is trying to change the venue, in a dilemma.

“We have been assured that there will be no changes to our original schedule. We are definitely playing the group stage matches in Sri Lanka,” a Cricket Ireland official told Cricbuzz.

Ireland are in Group ‘B’ alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe and Oman, all of whose matches are scheduled to be held in Kandy and Colombo.

On the other hand, Bangladesh is in Group ‘C’ along with West Indies, England, Nepal and Italy. Bangladesh is reluctant to tour India for the tournament due to security concerns. Currently, their group stage matches are scheduled to be held in Kolkata and Mumbai.

The BCB proposed a group change with Ireland at a meeting with the ICC in Dhaka on Saturday. It was being considered as a possible solution to avoid logistical complications.
“The possibility of moving Bangladesh to another group has been discussed to simplify the matter with minimal logistical changes,” the BCB said in a statement.

A BCB director later told reporters, “We actually gave the proposal to the ICC. They have not yet given a positive response.”

The BCB has reiterated its formal request to move Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka, citing the safety of players, fans, media and officials.

The ICC delegation included Andrew Fgrave, General Manager, Integrity Unit, and Gaurav Saxena, General Manager, Events and Corporate Communications (who joined virtually due to visa complications). The BCB delegation was represented by President Aminul Islam Bulbul, Vice-Presidents Shakawat Hossain and Farooq Ahmed, Cricket Operations Committee Chairman Nazmul Abedin Fahim, Head of Security Brigadier General Kazi Shamim Farhad (Retd.) and CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.

Bangladesh formally requested to move their matches from India on January 4, following security concerns raised after IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders released pacer Mustafizur Rahman earlier this month. However, the issue has not been resolved. With less than three weeks left before the World Cup, Bangladesh is running out of options. The BCB is unable to back down from its tough stance following the directives of the interim government’s sports advisor. What lies ahead is now uncertain.