The International Cricket Council on Wednesday rejected a request from the Bangladesh Cricket Board to shift its T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka, ruling that the fixtures will go ahead as scheduled after finding no credible security threat at the Indian venues.
The decision was taken at an ICC Board meeting held via video conference, convened following concerns raised by the BCB over the safety of its players, officials and supporters amid strained political relations between the two countries.
In a statement, the ICC said comprehensive security assessments, including independent reviews, indicated that there was no threat to Bangladesh players, match officials, media personnel or fans at any of the tournament venues in India.
The Board also noted that making venue changes at this stage of the tournament was not feasible.
ALSO READ: Assam secures Rs 1 lakh crore investment commitments at World Economic Forum
The ICC cautioned that relocating matches in the absence of a substantiated security risk could undermine the sanctity of ICC events and compromise the organisation’s neutrality as the global governing body of the sport.
It added that altering the schedule so close to the tournament could set an undesirable precedent for future competitions.
Bangladesh had sought to play their fixtures in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament, but the ICC maintained that the existing arrangements would remain unchanged, reiterating its confidence in the security measures in place in India.
