A delegation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to visit Bangladesh to discuss the country’s participation in the T20 World Cup 2026, which is to be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7.
The development comes amidst the standoff between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and ICC. BCB is firm on their stance of not playing in India and have requested the sport’s governing body to relocate their matches. On the other hand, ICC have said to BCB that they will cooperate with the Bangladesh board to conduct their matches in India with proper security arrangements.
According to a report by Bangladesh media outlet, ‘The Daily Star’, sports adviser Asif Nazrul confirmed the same while briefing the media at the Foreign Service Academy.
“According to the latest updates, Mr Aminul Islam [BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul] informed me that an ICC team is likely to come to Bangladesh for discussions. There is no chance of us changing our stance. We are eager to play in the World Cup, particularly in Sri Lanka, and I strongly believe that organising this is not impossible,” Nazrul said.
Earlier, in a meeting between the ICC and BCB, the former had requested the other party to reconsider its stance regarding its demand to shift T20 World Cup matches out of India. Also, the BCB said after the meeting that both parties have agreed to continue discussions to find possible solutions.
“While the ICC highlighted that the tournament itinerary has already been announced and requested the BCB to reconsider its stance, the Board’s position remains unchanged. Both parties agreed that discussions will continue to explore possible solutions,” the BCB said in an official statement.
The T20 World Cup 2026 will be from February 7, and Bangladesh will play one match in Mumbai and three fixtures in Kolkata.
