ICC will lose 20cr viewers if Bangladesh do not play, it will be their loss: BCB president

Bangladesh have outright rejected the 24-hour ultimatum issued by the ICC over the upcoming T20 World Cup. BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul said that if Bangladesh do not play, the ICC will lose twenty crore viewers and the loss will be theirs.

After a long meeting among cricketers, the BCB and government policymakers at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka on January 22, Bangladesh remained firm in its position. The BCB and the government clearly stated that they will not play any matches in India and are steadfast in their demand to move the matches to Sri Lanka.

At a press conference, the BCB president said that although the ICC issued a 24-hour ultimatum, a global organisation cannot exert pressure in such a manner. He added that discussions with the ICC would continue based on Bangladesh’s plan to play in Sri Lanka.

He further said that if Bangladesh do not take part, the ICC will lose 200 million viewers, stressing that the damage would be borne by the ICC itself. Rejecting the idea of recognising Sri Lanka as a “co-host”, he described the proposal as a “hybrid model” and expressed his surprise over the matter during the ICC meeting.

It may be recalled that on Wednesday, the ICC said that if Bangladesh do not come to India to play as per the scheduled fixtures, another team, possibly Scotland, would be included in the tournament in their place.