BCB hoping for 'miracle' as T20 World Cup endgame looms

BCB president Aminul Islam is hoping for a "miracle" from the ICC as he tries to salvage Bangladesh's place in the 2026 T20 World Cup. After an ICC board meeting on Wednesday, at which the BCB was told Bangladesh would be replaced with another team if they did not travel to India, Aminul said he sought more time to speak to the Bangladesh government.

"I asked the ICC board for time to talk to my government for one last time," Aminul said. "They said it's a valid point, and gave me 24 or 48 hours to get back to them. I don't want to put pressure on the government. We know that India is not secure for us. We remain in the stance that we want to play in Sri Lanka. I know the ICC denied us but we will talk to the government one more time. I will inform the ICC about the government's feedback."

When asked whether he could achieve anything in just one day, Aminul said: "I am hoping for a miracle from the ICC. Who doesn't want to play in the World Cup?

"The Bangladesh players want to play the World Cup. The Bangladesh government wants Bangladesh to play the World Cup. But we don't think India is safe for our players. A government doesn't only consider the players, but they consider all, when it takes a decision."

ESPNcricinfo understands Aminul was the only representative invited from the BCB to the ICC board meeting. During the video conference, he was given the floor to put forth Bangladesh's position. The BCB's proposal, however, to move Bangladesh's matches by switching groups with either Ireland or Zimbabwe was rejected. ESPNcricinfo learned that Sri Lanka didn't want a "new team in the group."

Bangladesh are currently in Group C along with England, Italy, West Indies and Nepal, and are scheduled to play their first three games in Kolkata and their last one in Mumbai. They play West Indies on February 7, the opening day of the tournament.

The issue of security arose after the BCCI, on January 3, instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad. Although no reason was stated for that directive, it came amid deteriorating relations between India and Bangladesh. On January 4, the BCB wrote to the ICC after consultation with the government that the Bangladesh team would not travel to India for its T20 World Cup matches due to security concerns, a stance it has stuck to through several subsequent discussions with the ICC.

The ICC, however, rejected the Mustafizur issue as a valid concern, saying the BCB was "repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its player's involvement in a domestic league. This linkage has no bearing on the tournament's security framework or the conditions governing participation in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup."