The delay in the International Cricket Council’s ultimatum is only making things more complicated between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC regarding the T20 World Cup venues. The BCB has remained adamant that India is not in their T20 World Cup schedule and they have again expressed their refusal to play there.
The ICC has turned down their plea for a group swap which would permit them to play in Sri Lanka instead and this has led to the situation escalating to the point where a possible exit from the tournament is looming.
If Bangladesh do eventually opt to exit, the repercussions will be felt across the board.
1) To begin with, Bangladesh would be a loser in terms of their ICC rankings. The other 19 teams would be given the chance to improve their rankings, while Bangladesh would remain ranked the same and this could significantly reduce their chances of automatic qualification for the next T20 World Cup – something no international team can afford to lose in the race for a place in the world of cricket which is becoming more and more competitive.
2) The next problem would be a very large financial loss. The BCB would lose the ICC participation fee of USD 500,000, which is approximately Rs 5 crore INR or 6.67 crore BD Taka, by withdrawing their participation. The impact of which can be hard given Bangladesh’s not so strong financial situation. So, losing an ICC revenue source may be one of the most difficult consequences. The mere fact of participating guarantees a constant supply of money thus, a withdrawal would be economically harmful not only due to cricketing concerns.
3) Lastly, Bangladesh is at risk of completely losing their tournament spot. Several media outlets have reported that Scotland, the team that is currently the highest-ranked and not participating in the T20 World Cup, might be called in as a replacement if Bangladesh decides to leave. Although the ICC has not yet officially discussed this with Cricket Scotland, the case remains quite strong if Bangladesh indeed chooses to abandon the tournament.
At first, the whole matter was caused by the fears that Bangladesh had concerning their security during the trip to India. The situation got worse when a release of Mustafizur Rahman by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders following BCCI instructions led to great anger in India, particularly because of reports on attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has been insisting on a change of venue for their group matches from Kolkata and Mumbai to Sri Lanka.
At the moment, Bangladesh is facing a tough decision: either to compromise and participate; or to withdraw, which would expose them to a series of negative consequences that are sporting, financial, and reputational, and these could continue to haunt them even after the tournament is over.