No scope to send team to India: Asif Nazrul

Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul yesterday said there was no scope to send the national team to India for next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup stressing that the decision was taken solely by the government on security grounds. 

“There is no scope to change our decision. I believe we did not get justice from ICC. We still hope that the ICC will deliver justice,” he said at a press conference following a meeting with several Bangladesh team cricketers and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials at a city hotel yesterday.

“I want to say one thing very clearly, it was the government’s decision not to send the team for the World Cup in India considering security risks. Only the government decides whether there is any security threat for its citizens when traveling to another country, there is no scope for any other considerations,” he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, ICC formally rejected BCB’s request to relocate Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches from India over security concerns after an online meeting attended by directors from all Full Members, two Associate Member directors, ICC chairman Jay Shah and other ICC officials. 

According to online reports, ICC had set a one-day deadline for BCB to confer with the government and decide whether they would send their team to India for the event. If not, Scotland was likely to replace them in the tournament, set to begin on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

Yesterday, for the first time, the players were invited for a discussion with the sports adviser.

Asif Nazrul said the meeting was held to convey to the players why the government has decided not to send the team to India and reiterated that gravity of Bangladesh’s security concerns.

“This concern is not based on any abstract or hypothetical idea; rather, it stems from a real incident in which the Indian cricket board bowed down to the pressures from fundamentalists, and barred one of our top players [Mustafizur Rahman] from India,” Asif Nazrul said.

Mustafizur was left out by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders on January 3 under the directives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), seemingly under pressure from right-wing politicians and religious leaders.

The very next day, BCB sent a letter to ICC requesting relocation.

In an ICC statement released on Wednesday, ICC claimed there was “no threat” to the Bangladesh contingent according to its security assessments and also labelled Mustafizur’s incident “a single, isolated and unrelated development” in a domestic league.

But Asif Nazrul did not agree.

“That country could not provide security to one of our players. The Indian cricket board is effectively an extended part of that government. They were unable or reluctant to provide security for one of our players under pressure from fundamentalists.

“Since then, there have been no significant changes in India that would assure us that a similar fundamentalist outburst won’t happen again. How can we be convinced that after failing to provide security to Mustafizur, India would be able to do it for our cricketers, journalists and spectators.”

The adviser also criticised the ICC for overlooking this incident in their communications with BCB and also pointed out the lack of communication from India’s end. 

“ICC made no attempts to convince us about this. Rather than speaking about the real incident, ICC discussed its standard security procedures. ICC took no real stance about our specific grievance. 

“Even from the Indian government’s end, there was no attempt to convince us that the Mustafizur incident was an isolated incidence, or that they are sorry for it, or are taking some steps for our spectators, journalists and cricketers. No such communications were made, there was no attempt to convince us.”

BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul, who represented Bangladesh in the ICC meeting, described how they tried to convince the ICC and said the board will carry on trying till the end. 

“Last year’s February, when a country [India] refused to compete in the Champions Trophy [in Pakistan] owing to security concerns, and when they conveyed their government’s decision to the ICC, it provided a neutral venue for them. Their team stayed in the same hotel, played all of their matches at the same venue for the entire Champions Trophy. It was a privilege,” Aminul said.

“We gave it as a reference, we said as the hybrid model was introduced due to security concerns and the government’s reluctance, we took that line of discussion and tried to convince the ICC. But they rejected our request.

“We will keep on trying. We have not given up yet, we will communicate with them again today,” he added.