‘Like me, whole of Bangladesh uncertain over participation’ : Litton Das on T20WC participation

Bangladesh captain Litton Das said he is “not sure” whether his country would be competing in next month’s T20 World Cup amid the prolonged tussle over the team’s refusal to play its games  in India.

Bangladesh have declined to travel to India citing security concerns after pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s ouster from the IPL on BCCI instructions. The diplomatic ties between the two countries are also tense right now due to attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.

“If we had known who our group opponents were (in the World Cup) or which country we were going to, that would have helped,” Das was quoted as saying by ‘ESPNCricinfo’ after his franchise Rangpur Riders’ exit from the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Tuesday.

“You have seen that we have announced the squad, but until now, no player knows which country we are going to or whom we will play against. Like me, the whole of Bangladesh is now uncertain.”

Bangladesh have demanded that their share of matches be shifted to Sri Lanka. Das, when pressed on the subject, threw a counter-question. “Are you sure that we are going to the World Cup?. In reality, there is still a long time left before the World Cup, and we are not even sure whether we will go or not,” he said.

He, however, side-stepped queries on the currently high political tensions between India and Bangladesh. But he insisted that players will adapt to any decision taken by the Cricket Board. “Many things in life are not ideal, but you have to accept them according to the situation. Playing so many matches in the BPL was not ideal either, but we still had to play,”  he said.