PCB offers to host Bangladesh games in T20WC

The Pakistan Cricket Board has backed Bangladesh’s stance of refusing to play its T20 World Cup matches in India due to “security concerns” and offered to host the country’s matches in a communication to the ICC. The ICC Board is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to take a final call on Bangladesh’s participation, including whether the team will travel to India for the tournament starting February 7.

Bangladesh are slated to play all four of their group-stage matches in India, with the first three scheduled in Kolkata and the remaining one in Mumbai. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board, supported by its government, has remained adamant and sought a shift of its matches to co-hosts Sri Lanka.

“The PCB has said in the e-mail that the demand by the Bangladesh board is justified and must be accepted and that if there are any issues moving Bangladesh matches to Sri Lanka, Pakistan is ready to host all their games,” a PCB source said. The ICC and the BCB have held multiple discussions on the issue, including a meeting in Dhaka last weekend, but neither side has changed its position.

While the ICC has insisted that the tournament be held as per schedule, the BCB has maintained that it cannot send their team to India. The PCB has not made any public comment on the matter although Board sources have said that the Bangladesh government had contacted Pakistan for support in the ICC.

Pakistan will be playing all their matches in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model agreement with the BCCI and ICC till 2027. The crisis related to Bangladesh began after Kolkata Knight Riders released pacer Mustafizur Rahman following a directive from the BCCI, which referred to “recent developments all around”. Subsequently, the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the IPL, and the BCB formally informed the ICC of its decision of not playing World Cup matches in India.