ICC Explains T20 World Cup Accreditation Denial To Bangladesh Journalists Amid Uproar

A new crack has emerged in the already fractured relationship between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Bangladesh, after over a hundred journalists from the country were denied accreditation for the T20 World Cup 2026. This decision from the sport's governing body follows the official replacement of Bangladesh by Scotland in the biennial event, after Bangladesh refused to travel to India for their group matches. Citing security concerns, Bangladesh remained adamant about playing all of their matches in a neutral country such as Sri Lanka, but the ICC's independent unit dismissed the threats.

The ICC's decision to bar Bangladeshi journalists from covering the tournament by rejecting their accreditation has triggered an uproar within the country's media fraternity. Speaking to NDTV, however, an ICC official confirmed that the stance was taken in the wake of comments made by the Bangladesh government, which called India 'unsafe' for travel amid the current political turmoil.

"They have not been given visas or accreditation because the government kept saying it is unsafe to come to India," an ICC official told NDTV on the condition of anonymity.

"Deeply Unfortunate"

NDTV also spoke to Rana Abbas, the Sports Editor of Aajker Patrika, a media outlet in Bangladesh, regarding the denial of accreditation. He described the situation as "extremely sad".

"Such an incident has never happened in Bangladesh before. Bangladeshi journalists have covered ICC events since before the country's first World Cup appearance in 1999, including high-profile matches like India vs Pakistan, even when played in India. Never before have all correspondents been rejected in this manner. In the history of ICC events, this is unprecedented and deeply unfortunate.

"I would say this is extremely sad. In global sport, even journalists from non-participating countries are usually accommodated-FIFA is a clear example. This issue risks setting a damaging precedent and could also affect coverage of matches in Sri Lanka," he said.

Bangladeshi journalists have reportedly reached out to the Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA) and the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Community (BSJC) before deciding on their next steps.

"For Bangladeshi journalists, facing such a blanket rejection for the first time is deeply disappointing," Rana concluded.

Topics mentioned in this article

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