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Dubai, 16 January. A delegation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) will soon visit Bangladesh. During this, the delegation will discuss with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and government officials regarding the participation of the Bangladeshi team in the proposed ICC T20 World Cup 2026 to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7.

It is noteworthy that BCB has written a letter to ICC about its decision not to go to India for the mega event citing security reasons. This development comes after Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the orders of BCCI. Although emails were exchanged between the ICC and BCB, the Bangladesh board remained firm on its stand.

Sports advisor Asif Nazrul confirmed the visit of ICC team

The news of ICC tour to Bangladesh was confirmed by Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul, making it clear that the national team wants to participate in the 2026 T20 World Cup, but wants to play all its matches on Sri Lankan soil. The special thing is that Pakistan will also play all its matches in Sri Lanka.

Speaking to the media at the Foreign Service Academy, Nazrul said, ‘According to the latest update, Mr. Aminul Islam (BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul) told me that an ICC team can come to Bangladesh for talks. There is no chance of change in our stand. We are looking forward to playing in the World Cup, especially in Sri Lanka, and I am sure it is not impossible to organise.

However, the date of ICC’s Bangladesh tour is not known yet. Bangladeshi news outlet Daily Star quoted a BCB official as saying, ‘We are in talks and a delegation is going to come, but the exact date has not been decided. We are in touch, but the time is not fixed.

It is noteworthy that BCB held talks with ICC and issued a statement again saying that it will not go to India for T20 World Cup 2026. “During the talks, the BCB reiterated its position on its decision not to travel to India citing security concerns,” the BCB said.

What was the discussion between ICC and BCB

The board also requested the ICC to consider moving Bangladesh’s matches out of India. However, the ICC pointed out that the tournament schedule has already been announced and requested the BCB to reconsider its stance. But there has been no change in the position of the board. The BCB also stressed that both the cricket board and the ICC have agreed to ‘explore possible solutions’.