Bangladesh stands firm on skipping T20 World Cup in India, Asif Nazrul says

Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul said on Thursday that there is no possibility of reversing the government’s decision not to participate in the T20 World Cup in India, citing unchanged security concerns.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with national team cricketers at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka, Nazrul said the decision was final and taken at the government level.

“There is no scope to change our decision,” he said. “The security concerns that led to this decision remain the same.”

Nazrul also criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC), saying it failed to act impartially by rejecting Bangladesh’s request to move the tournament to a neutral venue. He expressed hope that the global cricket body would act more fairly in the future.

“We expected justice from the ICC, but that did not happen,” he said.

After Nazrul’s remarks, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam also spoke to the media. He said Bangladesh still hopes to play its World Cup matches in Sri Lanka and will continue discussions to secure a venue change.