ICC's Response After Bangladesh Top Government Official's Fresh Claims On 'Security Threat' Letter From World Cricket Body

Bangladesh's group-stage matches in the T20 World Cup 2026, which are scheduled to be played in India, have become a bone of contention in the marquee event. Bangladesh does not want to play its scheduled four group-stage games in India and has written to the International Cricket Council (ICC) twice about it. Asif Nazrul (Bangladesh government sports advisor), known for his hardline stance against India, has claimed that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has received a letter from the ICC's security team.

Following is what Nazrul said in a press conference on Monday: "We are yet to receive any reply to the two letters sent to ICC. Also, in the meantime, the ICC security team, those in charge of security, have given a letter to the BCB. In that letter, it is said that if three things happen, the security threat to the Bangladesh team will increase:

1. If Mustafiz is included in the Bangladesh team.

2. If the supporters of the Bangladesh team roam around wearing the national jersey of Bangladesh, which is our national jersey.

3. As the national elections are forthcoming, the security threat to the Bangladesh team will increase.

"This statement by the ICC security team has proven that Bangladesh is in no position to play the T20 World Cup in India."

The ICC has rejected the claims. "The ICC is aware of public comments made in recent days concerning the participation of Bangladesh in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, including selective references to the ICC's security risk assessment," an ICC source told NDTV.

"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. 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 assessments did not identify any specific or direct threat to the Bangladesh team, team officials, or match venues 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.

"Some media reports have misinterpreted contingency planning as being actual risk, rather than conclusions or determinations. Such scenario planning is routine in order to ensure preparedness and consider all eventualities however remote," the source added

Topics mentioned in this article

Bangladesh Cricket Team India Cricket Team T20 World Cup 2026 Bangladesh Cricket Board International Cricket Council BCCI Cricket