It is all but certain that Bangladesh will be replaced by Scotland in the upcoming T20 World Cup, following Bangladesh’s stance on not playing their group stage matches in India.
World Cup: The Controversy
The Bangladesh Cricket Board was given a 24-hour deadline to respond to ICC’s meeting decision, which was taken by the governing body on January 21, but with Bangladesh having not responded till the time of writing this peace it is likely that the asian nation will be replaced by Scotland.
Bangladesh’s stance on the matter hasn’t been taken well by a number of former players, Manoj Tiwary being one of them. The former Indian batter has slammed Bangladesh for the decision while alleging political interference.
World Cup: What They Said
Tiwary doesn’t mince his words while criticising Bangladesh. Speaking to ANI, Tiwary said, “It wasn’t from the board’s side. Today, if you watched the press conference, the Sports Minister gave a statement to the media, saying there is a security risk, but the board president was standing right next to him. Generally, in other countries, the cricket board is an autonomous body, and political and ministerial involvement is limited only to organising the events.”
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World Cup: Behind The Scenes
Tiwary added that Bangladesh’s cricket board is heavily influenced by political figures. In Tiwary’s words, “But in their country, politics has entered the picture, and political figures have become heavily involved in the board, and these kinds of decisions are emerging. Regarding the safety, if that’s the question, then Sheikh Hasina also came to our country after the protests there, and she is safe here, isn’t she? The central government of our country has provided her with good security and given her refuge here. So, if a country’s Prime Minister can come and live safely here, then the players will definitely get safety.”
World Cup: The origin
It all began when Mustafizur Rahman’s name wh was picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL player auction, which was withdrawn following stained relationship between the two countries after the incident involving crimes against minorities rose in Bangladesh.
Also Read: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh All but Certain of Pulling Out of T20 World Cup
World Cup: The Timeline
Responding to the decision to withdraw Mustafizur’s name, Bangladesh decided not to travel to India to take part in the T20 World Cup and have been firm on their demand since then. However, BCB has time and again said that they have nothing to do with this decision.
World Cup: The Loss
Tiwary was also of the opinion that BCB has nothing to do with the whole chain of events, but it will be the players who will have to take the hit for missing out on playing in the World Cup.
“This is a loss for the players. All the Bangladeshi players always want to play for their country, and it’s their dream to participate in the World Cup and perform well there, which further brightens their individual careers.
But what can the players do now? It wasn’t in the players’ hands, and the ICC’s instruction was simply, “Either you play, or you leave.” Why did the Bangladesh Cricket Board take such a decision, given that the ICC chairman and the ICC itself are so powerful? We know the board didn’t take the decision. The Sports Ministry there took it, and I’ve always said that if politics enters sports, you see these kinds of things happening, and this time it’s been proven again that politics has entered sports. Because of this, such a major decision was taken that they are not coming to play in the World Cup,” he said.