‘Easier said than done’: BCCI official plays down Bangladesh’s venue shift demands
The uproar over Mustafizur Rahman's shock removal from the IPL by the BCCI on Saturday is far from over, with calls from Bangladesh to shift its matches from India to Sri Lanka for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, set to begin on February 7, only getting louder.
Yesterday, sports adviser Asif Nazrul demanded the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to formally explain the situation to the ICC and request the world cricket's governing body to shift Bangladesh's World Cup matches to Sri Lanka.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. 
"The board must make it clear that if a Bangladeshi cricketer, despite being under contract, cannot play in India, then the Bangladesh national team cannot feel safe travelling to India to play the World Cup. I have also directed the board to formally request that Bangladesh's World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka instead," he posted on social media.
The BCB officials, after an emergency meeting yesterday, have said they will send a letter to the ICC regarding the matter.
The Pakistan team will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, owing to the geopolitical tensions between the nations. However, setting up a similar schedule for Bangladesh with a little over a month to go before the event would be "a logistical nightmare" and near impossible, according to a BCCI official.
"You can't just change games at someone's whims and fancies. It is a logistical nightmare. Think about opposition teams. Their air tickets, hotels are booked," India's NDTV quoted a BCCI official, who sought to remain anonymous.
"Also on all days there are three games each which means one game is in Sri Lanka. There is broadcast crew. So it will be easier said than done," he added.
As per the current schedule, Bangladesh are supposed to play their first three matches in Kolkata on February 7, 9 and 14, and then move to Mumbai for their final group-stage match on the 17th.
On all four dates, three matches are already scheduled, set to take place in the morning, afternoon and evening across two venues in India and one in Sri Lanka.
If all of Bangladesh's matches are to be shifted out of India, it would require a major reshuffling of the tournament fixture.
Comments