ICC security team’s letter shows ‘no situation to play in India’: Sports adviser
Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul said today that it is impossible for Bangladesh team to visit India for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 after receiving ICC security team’s letter.
“Now let's come to a different topic. Surely you are coming here to know the news of cricket. We have no development in the field of cricket. We have sent two letters. After sending the letter, we are waiting for the reply from the ICC,” Asif Nazrul told reporters during a visit to BFF House today.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. “One thing has happened in this, I need to inform you. That is, the security team of the ICC and those in charge of security have sent a letter. In that letter, it has been said that three things will increase the security threat to the Bangladesh team.
“One is if Mustafiz [Rahman] is included in the Bangladesh team. Two, if the supporters of the Bangladesh team walk around wearing the national jersey of Bangladesh and our national jersey. And the third is that the closer the election comes, the more the security threat for the Bangladesh team will increase.
“So, this statement of the ICC security team has proven beyond doubt that there is no situation for the Bangladesh cricket team to play the T20 World Cup in India. If the ICC expects us to make a cricket team without our best bowler, our supporters not being able to wear the Bangladesh jersey, and that we will postpone the Bangladesh elections to play cricket, there cannot be a more absurd, unrealistic, and unreasonable expectation than this.
“We believe that the prevailing communal situation in India and the anti-Bangladesh atmosphere, especially the continuous anti-Bangladesh campaign that has been going on for the last 16 months, have made it impossible for Bangladesh to play cricket in India,” he continued, further assuring reporters that he will provide the letter to the media.
The Sports Adviser’s comments come at a time when the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is waiting for the ICC to reply to their letter regarding shifting Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka.
When contacted about the ICC security team letter, a high-up BCB official said that they were not in a position to make any comment regarding this issue.
Another BCB director, requesting anonymity, said:
“I also can’t understand what the adviser is saying.”
“No, there has been no such letter from the ICC. They haven’t replied at all. I don’t know what we’ll do -- I’ll speak to [Nizam Uddin Chowdhury] Sujan and see.”
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