Bangladeshi journalists claim ICC denied their T20 World Cup access

According to the newspaper, the decision effectively bars Bangladeshi media from covering matches in both host nations—India and Sri Lanka.

The development comes against the backdrop of Bangladesh’s earlier decision not to travel to India for the tournament, citing security concerns. That move prompted the ICC to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the competition.

Confirming the accreditation issue, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) media committee chairman Amzad Hossain told The Daily Star on Monday that between 130 and 150 Bangladeshi journalists had applied for accreditation.

“As far as I know, all Bangladeshi journalists were rejected. Around 130 to 150 journalists applied this year, but none received accreditation,” Hossain said.

Several journalists also claimed that a small number of Bangladeshi photojournalists initially received approval emails on January 20 and 21, only to have their accreditations revoked later.

“I received an approval email from the ICC media department on January 20, which included a visa support letter. But today I received another email saying my application was rejected,” Mir Farid, a special photojournalist with Bengali daily Kaler Kantho, told the newspaper.

Scotland included in T20 World Cup

The ICC’s decision to include Scotland followed an extensive review process aimed at addressing the concerns raised by the BCB over hosting its scheduled matches in India.

Over more than three weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB through multiple rounds of discussions, conducted in a transparent and constructive manner, including both video conferences and in-person meetings.

As part of the process, the ICC reviewed the security concerns cited by the BCB, commissioned independent assessments from internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans covering federal and state-level arrangements, along with enhanced and escalating security protocols for the event.

These assurances were reiterated at several stages, including during discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board.

Following its assessments, the ICC concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials, or supporters in India.

In light of these findings, and after weighing broader implications, the ICC decided it was not appropriate to amend the published tournament schedule. The governing body also emphasised the need to preserve the integrity of the competition, protect the interests of all participating teams and fans, and avoid setting precedents that could undermine the neutrality and fairness of ICC events.

After a meeting on Wednesday, the IBC Board asked the BCB to confirm within 24 hours whether Bangladesh would participate in the tournament as scheduled. When no confirmation was received within the deadline, the ICC proceeded in accordance with its governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team.

Scotland, the highest-ranked T20I side not originally qualified for the tournament, were selected as Bangladesh’s replacement. They are currently ranked 14th in T20Is, ahead of seven teams already in the tournament—Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, the United States, Canada, Oman and Italy.