ICC T20 World Cup: 'Bangladesh's players will definitely get security in India'

'In their country, politics has entered the picture, and political figures have become heavily involved in the board.'

Former Indian player Manoj Tiwary slammed Bangladesh's decision not to play their T20 World Cup matches in India, alleging political interference in the Bangladesh Cricket Board,

A defiant Bangladesh on Thursday refused to send its national cricket team for next month's T20 World Cup in India after the ICC rejected its demand for a change of venue, effectively paving the way for Scotland to take the country's place.

Bangladesh had been served an ultimatum by the ICC on Wednesday to either agree to travel to India or risk being replaced as there was no credible threat to the safety of their players, officials or fans there. They were given time till Thursday to make its decision. Scotland is next in line based on team rankings for the tournament starting February 7.

However, taking a hard-line position Bangladesh's sports advisor Asif Nazrul, after a meeting with national team players, announced that the ICC's assessment was not acceptable to them.

'Political figures have become heavily involved in BCB'

Tiwary pointed out that if Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is safely residing in India, why would their players face any security issues.

"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. 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," Tiwary, a former Bengal stalwart who played 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India, told ANI.

"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."

'Loss for the players'

Tiwary claimed that Bangladesh's decision not to play T20 World Cup matches in India is a loss for their cricketers, whose dream is to play in big tournaments like 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 hae 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 added.