A final decision regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup—and particularly whether the team will tour India—may come on 21 January. ESPNcricinfo reported this in a recent article.
Last Saturday, a meeting between the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was held in Dhaka. In this second round of discussions within a week, the BCB reiterated that it is standing firm on its position. If Bangladesh do not take part in the World Cup, Scotland could be included as a replacement team.
According to the Cricinfo report, people involved in the discussions surrounding this stalemate—ongoing for nearly three weeks—said that the ICC is waiting for the BCB’s final decision. If Bangladesh ultimately refuse to tour India, Scotland may be included as an alternative based on the current rankings.
During Saturday’s meeting, the possibility of swapping Bangladesh’s group with Ireland’s was also discussed. In a press release issued after the meeting, the BCB stated: “Among other issues, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to another group as a way to simplify matters through minimal logistical changes was discussed.”
However, Ireland are not willing to agree to a group change with Bangladesh. An Irish official told cricket-based website Cricbuzz, “We have received specific assurances that there will be no changes to our original schedule. We will definitely be playing our group-stage matches in Sri Lanka.”
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