BCB offers to swap groups with Ireland to feature in T20 WC

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) urged the International Cricket Council members to swap groups in order to feature in the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, report agencies.
The BCB made the offer during a meeting with the ICC representatives at Dhaka on Saturday. The sports online portal understands that the BCB insisted that they should replace Ireland in Group C so that they can play all their matches in Sri Lanka.
Ireland are scheduled to take on Sri Lanka, Australia and Oman in Colombo while their last group match is schedule in Kandy against Zimbabwe. Bangladesh on the other hand are currently in Group B where they are scheduled to take on West Indies, Italy and England in Kolkata before facing Nepal in Mumbai.
Later in the evening, the BCB released a statement related to the meeting. "The BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh's matches to Sri Lanka," the statement read. "The Board also shared the Bangladesh Government's views and concerns on safety and security of the team, Bangladeshi fans, media and other stakeholders.
"The discussions were conducted in a constructive, cordial and professional manner, with all parties engaging openly on the relevant issues. Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the
matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed."
Meanwhile, "The ICC delegation was represented by Gaurav Saxena, General Manager, Events and Corporate Communications, and Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager, Integrity Unit. Gaurav Saxena was unable to attend the meeting in person as his visa was received later than anticipated and therefore joined the discussions virtually. Andrew Ephgrave attended the meeting in person." The BCB was represented at the meeting by board president Aminul Islam, vice presidents Shakawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, director and chairman of the cricket operations committee Nazmul Abedeen and CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.
The problem of Bangladesh playing in India arose once the BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Mustafizur from its IPL 2026 squad. No reason has been specified for that decision, though relations between the two countries have deteriorated of late.
Following Mustafizur's removal,
the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the IPL in the country, and the BCB sent a letter to the ICC refusing to play its T20 World Cup matches in India, a stance it has stuck to during several subsequent meetings with the ICC.