BCCI secretary Jay Shah has said that the BCCI has “flatly refused” the ICC’s offer to host the Women’s T20 World Cup in October. The ICC is understood to take a final decision on August 20. India has ruled itself out as the host, leaving Sri Lanka and the UAE as possible options for the tournament scheduled from October 3-20.
“They (ICC) have asked us if we will host the World Cup. I have clearly refused,” Shah said. times of India“Right now the monsoon is on and besides that next year we will also be hosting the Women’s ODI World Cup. I don’t want to give any indication that I want to host back-to-back World Cups.”
ICC Thinking about change Bangladesh is facing a period of violence and security challenges following anti-government protests which left several people dead and forced the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government.
An ICC official said earlier this week that the situation in Bangladesh was being monitored and all options were kept open. “The ICC is closely monitoring developments in coordination with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), their security agencies and our own independent security advisors,” an ICC statement said. “Our priority remains the safety and well-being of all participants.”
While Bangladesh’s new interim government is making a last-ditch effort to save the tournament, the strict travel advisories issued by the governments of several participating teams, including England, Australia and India, are one of the biggest hurdles for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Apart from security challenges, the BCB is also in trouble as its president and former sports minister Nazmul Hasan has been effectively out of office since the collapse of the Awami League government on August 5. Several directors on the board, who have direct or indirect political connections, are also out of contact.
The Bangladesh men’s Test team is currently touring Pakistan for a two-match series. They arrived in the country early after training in Bangladesh was disrupted by protests. They are also scheduled to tour India for two Tests and three T20 matches next month.
“We haven’t spoken to them (Bangladesh officials) yet,” Shah said. “There is a new government there. Maybe they will contact us or I will contact them. The Bangladesh series is very important for us.”