Cricket – Bangladesh will not play their Twenty20 World Cup matches in India after Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League team amid growing tensions between the countries, Bangladesh’s cricket board (BCB) said yesterday.
Kolkata Knight Riders said on Saturday they had released the Bangladesh bowler after being told to do so by India’s cricket board (BCCI).
Bangladesh are scheduled to play three Twenty20 World Cup matches in Kolkata next month, with the February 7 to March 8 tournament being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, but the BCB said they are worried about their players’ safety.
“Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh government, the board of directors resolved that the Bangladesh national team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions,” the BCB said.
“In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India.”
Earlier yesterday, Asif Nazrul, an adviser to the Sports Ministry, said Bangladesh would not travel to India.
After Mustafizur’s release on Saturday, the BCB had held an emergency meeting before writing to the ICC to relocate their matches.
“The board said that where a Bangladesh cricketer can’t play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladesh cricket team can’t feel safe to go to the World Cup,” Nazrul had said.
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