Dhaka, Jan 26 (.) Days after officially replacing Bangladesh with Scotland in the upcoming T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has now rejected accreditation applications from Bangladeshi journalists seeking to cover the tournament, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7.
The move bars media representatives from Bangladesh from reporting on matches in either host country.
The development comes in the wake of Bangladesh’s earlier decision not to travel to India citing security concerns — a stance that triggered tensions between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC.
On January 24, the ICC officially replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament.
Bangladesh Cricket Board media committee chairman Amzad Hossain confirmed the matter to The Daily Star on Monday, saying that between 130 and 150 journalists from Bangladesh had applied for accreditation.
“As far as I know, all Bangladeshi journalists were rejected. Around 130 to 150 journalists applied this year, but none received accreditation,” Amzad told the daily.
Several journalists also claimed that some Bangladeshi photo journalists had initially received approval emails on January 20 and 21, but their accreditations were revoked subsequently.
“I received an approval email from the ICC media department on January 20, which included a visa support letter. But today I received another email saying my application was rejected,” said Mir Farid, special photojournalist of Bengali daily Kaler Kantho.
Bangladesh have been part of ICC World Cups since 1999, and Bangladeshi journalists have regularly covered global ICC events.
Arifur, a Bangladeshi sports journalist and president of the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA), said he would consult with two other sports journalists’ bodies — the Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA) and the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Community (BSJC) — to determine their next steps.
“A strong protest letter should be sent to the ICC through the Ministry of Information and the BCB, asking for an explanation. Since Sri Lanka is a co-host, they could have accommodated us there,” he said.
Earlier this month, Interim government Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul had said that Bangladesh will not play in the T20 World Cup, citing national security and the country’s dignity.
The Bangladeshi stance had followed 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.
The developments came 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.
The decision sparked a fierce backlash in Dhaka, with Sports Advisor Nazrul saying that he no longer considered India a safe destination for the national team.
He also 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 had also formally notified the ICC that it will not travel to India next month and requested that matches be moved abroad.
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