Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has firmly denied reports claiming that ICC issued them a deadline to confirm their participation in T20 World Cup 2026. According to BCB, no such ultimatum was given asking them to inform ICC by January 21 or 22 about whether they would travel to India for the tournament.
The clarification comes amid ongoing correspondence between BCB and ICC, which has continued since Bangladesh raised concerns about travelling to India, citing security issues. BCB had earlier requested ICC to shift their World Cup matches to Sri Lanka instead.
BCB officials responded after media reports surfaced suggesting that ICC had set January 21 as a final deadline for Bangladesh’s decision.
While ICC has reportedly maintained that changing venues at this late stage would be difficult due to logistical constraints with the tournament scheduled in February, Bangladesh board insists that no formal deadline has been communicated.
Reports have also suggested that if Bangladesh ultimately refuses to travel to India, ICC could replace them with Scotland in the tournament.
“Last Saturday on January 17, an ICC representative came and our cricket board representatives held a meeting with him. There, in regards to World Cup participation, there was issue with the venue and we informed them about our reluctance to play in that venue. We requested for alternate venue and we held detailed discussions with the representatives.
“They told us that they will inform the ICC about the issues and will let us know about the decision later on. In regards to these talks, they haven’t mentioned a specific date or when they will let us know. They just told us that they will let us know when the next discussion will take place. Thank you,” Amjad said as per The Daily Star.
ICC has turned down all proposals put forward by Bangladesh Cricket Board regarding changes to their T20 World Cup 2026 schedule.
ICC considers any reshuffling of groups at this stage extremely problematic. Such changes would create major complications for broadcasters, ticketing arrangements, and other participating teams.
