Questions are being raised about how safe it will be for the Bangladesh team to travel to India for the World Cup after Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the IPL.
So far, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has not received any official communication from the Indian board regarding Mustafizur’s exclusion. Because of this, BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul said he does not want to comment prematurely. He added that if needed, the board will contact the ICC regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the World Cup in India.
The BCB chief also said he would sit for discussions with board directors at 9:30 pm on Saturday to review the overall situation.
After attending the inauguration of BCB’s regional activities in Sylhet on Saturday, Aminul spoke to the media. Most of the questions focused on Mustafizur being dropped from the IPL and whether Bangladesh would travel to India for the World Cup.
Regarding Kolkata Knight Riders releasing Mustafizur, the BCB president said they would respond only after receiving official confirmation.
“At this moment, the information we have is that our counterpart is the BCCI, we play under the supervision of the ICC, and Mustafizur was supposed to play franchise cricket. That is all we know right now. We have not received any official statement or information beyond this. Once we do, we will communicate it to you.”
When asked whether Mustafizur’s removal could be considered disrespectful towards Bangladesh, the board chief avoided giving a direct response.
“I am sorry, I cannot answer that question at this moment. I will speak with our head of cricket operations.”
Another question raised was how India would ensure the safety of the entire Bangladesh team during the World Cup if it could not guarantee security for a single player like Mustafizur. Aminul again chose to keep his response brief.
“I will give a quick and short answer. The tournament is being organized by the ICC, and India is the host. If we need to communicate with anyone, we will do so through the ICC.”
BCB media committee chairman Amjad Hossain was also present alongside the president. He added that the ICC would decide which venues are suitable.
“The ICC will decide which venues are appropriate.”
Amjad did not agree with claims that Bangladesh had been belittled or disrespected, but he stressed that player safety remains the board’s top priority.
“Let us move away from discussions about being undermined or disrespected. We have never experienced anything like this before. This is the first time. We have not received any official information from our counterpart either. Until we know the facts, we cannot take any action. What we can say is that the dignity and safety of our cricketers will always be our top priority. We will take the best possible decision at the right time.”
