The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday indicated that it may not accept Bangladesh’s demand to change the venue of the T20 World Cup matches to be held in India as an assessment report on the country’s security concerns has described the threat perception as ‘low’.
This can be the stand ICC take after Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request regarding T20 World Cup 2026 venue
According to media reports, the risk assessment report of the global governing body has not mentioned any specific or direct threat to the Bangladesh team’s participation in the tournament starting from February 7. It also contradicts Bangladesh Sports Ministry advisor Asif Nazrul’s claim that including Mustafizur Rahman in the squad would increase the risk. Bangladesh have four league stage matches in India.
“It is important to clarify that the ICC’s independent risk assessments, carried out by internationally renowned security experts, do not conclude that Bangladesh cannot play its scheduled matches in India,” an ICC source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
“The overall security risk for the tournament in India has been assessed as low to moderate, which is in line with the profile of many major global sporting events,” the source said.
The assessment also found no direct threat to Bangladesh officials anywhere in India, according to the source. “Based on professional advice, the risk associated with Bangladesh’s scheduled matches in Kolkata and Mumbai has been assessed as low to moderate, and there is no indication of any risk that cannot be effectively addressed through established security plans and mitigation measures,” the source said.
Earlier, The BCB said, “The conversation referred to today by the Advisor to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports was about internal discussions between the BCB and the ICC Security Department regarding threat assessment for the Bangladesh team ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.” It added, “This was not a formal response from the ICC to the BCB’s request to move Bangladesh’s matches out of India.”