Mumbai:After banning Mustafizur Rahman from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held an emergency meeting at 9:30 pm on Sunday night. It was decided in the meeting that a formal letter will be written to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift three to four matches of Bangladesh in the upcoming T20 World Cup, which are to be held in Kolkata and Mumbai, to Sri Lanka. BCB has taken this step in view of security concerns.

BCCI expressed impossibility

BCCI has clarified its stand on this matter. According to sources, there is only one month left for the tournament to start, so changing the venue of the matches is almost impossible. A BCCI official said that you cannot change the venue of the match as per the wish of any player or board. Logistically it is very difficult. Air tickets, hotel booking and other preparations for the opposing teams have already been done. In such a situation, making sudden changes is not practical.

The BCCI source further said that three matches are being played every day of the T-20 World Cup, due to which it is not easy to shift one match to a different place. Broadcast crew and other technical arrangements are also decided in advance. So it is easy to say that we will change the place, but it will be difficult to do it.

bangladesh matches

As per the current plan, Bangladesh will play four league matches. Against West Indies on 7 February in Kolkata, against Italy on 9 February in Kolkata, against England on 14 February in Kolkata and against Nepal on 17 February in Mumbai. BCB will send a demand to ICC to shift these matches to Sri Lanka. Now it remains to be seen what decision ICC takes on this proposal.

Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL ban

Actually, this controversy started when Mustafizur Rahman was thrown out of IPL on the instructions of BCCI. Shahrukh Khan’s franchise KKR released the left-arm pacer, which was bought for Rs 9.20 crore in the auction held in Abu Dhabi. After this move, BCB expressed its concern that the safety of their players cannot be ensured in India.

Complex balance between security and cricket

The concern of Bangladesh Board is mainly about the safety and well-being of the players. Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the IPL and the subsequent demand to shift the matches, indicates that along with the game, it is important to keep in mind the safety of the players and the political situation as well. A concrete decision on this issue is expected between ICC and BCCI by next week.