NEW DELHI, Jan 12:
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday indicated that it is unlikely to accept Bangladesh’s demand for a change of venue for its T20 World Cup matches in India after an assessment report of the country’s security concerns placed the threat perception at “low”.
As per ICC sources, the world body’s risk assessment report does not flag any specific or direct threat to the Bangladesh team if it participates in the tournament starting February 7.
It also contradicts claims made by Bangladesh sports ministry advisor Asif Nazrul that Mustafizur Rahman’s inclusion in the team would contribute to the overall threat. Bangladesh are due to play four league stage matches in India.
“It is important to clarify that the ICC’s independent risk assessments, carried out by internationally recognised security experts, do not conclude that Bangladesh cannot play its scheduled matches in India,” an ICC source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
“The overall security risk for the tournament in India has been assessed as low to moderate, which is consistent with the profile of many major global sporting events,” the source said.
According to the source, the assessment did not identify any direct threat even to the Bangladesh officials at any venue in India.
“Based on the professional advice received, the risk associated with Bangladesh’s scheduled fixtures in Kolkata and Mumbai is assessed as low to moderate, with no indication of risks that cannot be effectively managed through established security planning and mitigation measures,” the source added. (PTI)
This follows public comments by Nazrul in Dhaka in which he suggested that the ICC report had flagged a threat to Mustafizur, whose omission from the IPL on BCCI’s directions owing to unspecified “developments all around” prompted the pullout threat from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
The BCB later issued a clarification, effectively backpedaling on the assertions made by Nazrul on Monday.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
