Bad news for Bangladesh after T20 World Cup pull-out, ICC have taken BIG decision to…

New Delhi: The relationship between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Bangladesh Cricket has taken a new turn, with the accreditation of hundreds of journalist for the T20 World has been denied.

The decision was taken by the sport’s governing body after Scotland was named as Bangladesh’s official replacement for the upcoming tournament, as Bangladesh refused to travel to India for their group-stage matches citing safety concerns. Bangladesh requested ICC to move their matches out of India. However, the ICC’s independent security assessment unit dismissed those concerns, paving the way for the change.

ICC accreditation snub triggers outrage in Bangladesh media

The ICC’s decision to reject the accreditation of Bangladeshi journalists for the tournament has sparked widespread outrage within the country’s media fraternity. However, speaking to NDTV, an ICC official said the action was taken after the remarks made by the Bangladesh government, which described India as ‘unsafe’ for travel amid the ongoing political unrest.

“They have not been given visas or accreditation because the government kept saying it is unsafe to come to India,” an ICC official said

Bangladesh’s journalist as described the situation as “extremely sad”

NDTV also spoke to Rana Abbas, the Sports Editor of Aajker Patrika, a media outlet in Bangladesh, regarding the accreditation rejection. He expressed his disappointment and described the situation as “extremely sad”.

“Such an incident has never happened in Bangladesh before. Bangladeshi journalists have covered ICC events since before the country’s first World Cup appearance in 1999, including high-profile matches like India vs Pakistan, even when played in India. Never before have all correspondents been rejected in this manner. In the history of ICC events, this is unprecedented and deeply unfortunate.”

“I would say this is extremely sad. In global sport, even journalists from non-participating countries are usually accommodated-FIFA is a clear example. This issue risks setting a damaging precedent and could also affect coverage of matches in Sri Lanka,” he said.

Bangladeshi journalists have reportedly approached the Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA) and the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Community (BSJC) to seek guidance before determining their next course of action.

“For Bangladeshi journalists, facing such a blanket rejection for the first time is deeply disappointing,” Rana concluded.