ICC rejects Bangladesh’s request to move T20 World Cup matches out of India

The decision was taken at an emergency ICC board meeting attended by all members. Of the 16 board members, all but two voted against making any changes to the tournament schedule. The ICC has informed the BCB that it has 24 hours to communicate its final decision.

If Bangladesh maintains its position of not travelling to India for the tournament, Scotland is likely to replace them in the competition, sources added.

The BCB had sought to move its matches, citing security concerns, following the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) advice to IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.

Since then, the BCB and ICC have held multiple rounds of discussions, but Bangladesh remained firm on its refusal to play in India.

Bangladesh also proposed swapping fixtures with Ireland, which would have allowed them to play all their Group B matches in Sri Lanka. That proposal was rejected by the ICC.

With the latest decision, the original T20 World Cup schedule will remain unchanged. The ICC has made it clear that failure to travel to India would result in Bangladesh being excluded from the tournament.

While Scotland is the leading candidate to replace Bangladesh, reports suggest that Cricket Scotland has not yet held formal discussions with the ICC on the matter.

A similar situation occurred in 2009, when Zimbabwe withdrew from the T20 World Cup in England for political reasons and was replaced by Scotland.