‘We are not going for arbitration’: BCB accepts ICC ruling on T20 World Cup exit

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has formally accepted the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

BCB media committee chairman Amzad Hossain said the board would not pursue arbitration or any form of dispute resolution, stating that the decision of the ICC board had been accepted.

Bangladesh’s withdrawal followed the government’s refusal to grant clearance for the national team to travel to India, citing concerns over player security. After an ICC board meeting last week, Bangladesh were informed that failure to travel as scheduled would lead to replacement in the tournament. The BCB subsequently communicated the government’s decision to the ICC.

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Amzad Hossain said the ICC later provided the board with a 24-hour deadline to confirm participation, but the BCB informed the governing body that it was not possible to travel and compete under the given circumstances. He also clarified that the BCB did not approach the ICC’s dispute resolution committee, contrary to some reports.

Following Bangladesh’s inability to confirm participation, the ICC moved to include Scotland, the highest-ranked T20I team outside the original qualification list. The ICC maintained in its internal assessment that there was no credible security threat to the Bangladesh team in India and stressed the importance of maintaining the tournament’s schedule and competitive integrity.

During the same board meeting, the BCB was informed that director Ishtiaque Sadeque had resigned for personal reasons, adding to the administrative challenges faced by Bangladesh cricket during this period.