Dhaka, Jan 8 (.) Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has endorsed the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ decision not to send the Bangladesh cricket team to India for the T20 World Cup, citing security concerns.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Thursday said the decision followed the exclusion of national team pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL, and was influenced by concerns over the ability of Indian authorities to ensure adequate security amid “ongoing anti-Bangladesh activities and rhetoric by Hindutva groups”.
“If our team travels, it will not be only the players; supporters will also go to watch the matches. Their safety is also a concern. How can we be assured that they will remain safe?” he said, while speaking to reporters in Dhaka.
Touhid Hossain said he fully supports the position earlier expressed by Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul on not sending the Bangladesh team to India. He noted that while an individual cricketer might travel for a short period, sending the national team would inevitably involve large numbers of supporters, creating broader security risks.
Given the prevailing situation, Touhid said it would be unrealistic to expect Indian authorities to guarantee sufficient security. “Considering this, we have decided that we will play, but outside India,” he added.
On Wednesday, Sport Advisor Asif Nazrul had said that Bangladesh will not compromise on its decision not to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, citing concerns over player safety, national security and the country’s dignity.
The stance follows the dropping of cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League. Asif said Bangladesh would not make concessions on either the safety of its cricketers or the country’s overall security.
Earlier, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul, along with board directors, met the sports advisor at the Secretariat to discuss whether the Bangladesh team would travel for the tournament.
“We want to play cricket, we want to play in the World Cup. There is another host country, Sri Lanka, and we want to play there,” Nazrul said.
“We are firm on not playing in India,” he added. “We hope the ICC will consider our arguments fairly and in good faith, and ensure our participation in the T20 World Cup, which we have earned through hard work.”
Following growing resentment in India over reports of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to drop the Bangladeshi seamer, citing an inability to guarantee his safety. KKR subsequently released the player, who was signed for 92 million rupees.
On Saturday, Advisor Nazrul took to Facebook to express that he no longer considered India a safe destination for the national team. He further urged the information and broadcasting ministry to halt IPL broadcasts in Bangladesh, leading to an official ban on all IPL-related content on Monday.
The BCB has formally notified the ICC that it will not travel to India next month and requested that matches be moved abroad.
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