Bangladesh has announced its decision that it will not send its players to play World Cup matches in India. They have cited security as the reason behind this decision. The Bangladesh Cricket Board claims that their players are not safe to play in India. On one hand, the board is not sending players; however, a Bangladeshi umpire was sent to India and officiated a match. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has spoken out on this matter.
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Bangladesh umpire officiates despite safety concerns
Sharfuddoula Saikat officiated in the first match between India and New Zealand in Baroda. He was the third umpire. Saikat's presence came to light when the names of match officials were announced. And that's when the discussion began. Questions started arising - If playing in India is not safe for Bangladesh players, then how is a Bangladeshi umpire coming to officiate matches?
On this matter, Iftekhar Rahman, chairman of the umpires' department of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, said that Saikat is an ICC‑contracted umpire and is not directly associated with the BCB. He added that according to Saikat’s contract, if he receives any ICC assignment, the BCB will not prevent him from participating, and he does not require a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to do so. However, this matter is being criticised. If a player is not safe, then how is an umpire safe?
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Bangladesh will have to come to India
In this situation, reports suggest that ICC has rejected BCB's request regarding the World Cup. As a result, Bangladesh will have to come to India to play World Cup matches. Their group stage matches are in Kolkata and Mumbai. In this situation, Bangladesh has no option but to follow ICC's instructions. If they don't follow the instructions, then they won't be able to play in the World Cup.
