ICC denies T20 World Cup accreditation to Bangladeshi journalists

International Cricket Council – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk) – The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected accreditation requests from Bangladeshi journalists who hoped to cover the ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka starting February 7, according to Bangladeshi media.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Media Committee Chairman Amzad Hossain confirmed that between 130 and 150 journalists applied for accreditation, but none were approved.

“All Bangladeshi journalists were rejected. Around 130 to 150 applied this year, but none received accreditation,” he said.

The move comes shortly after the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in Group C, following the BCB’s request to relocate its matches from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns.

Some Bangladeshi photojournalists initially received approval emails on January 20 and 21, including visa support letters, only to have their accreditations later revoked. Photojournalist Mir Farid said, “I received an approval email from the ICC media department on January 20, but later got another email saying my application was rejected.”

A senior journalist described the decision as unusual, noting that “even if a team is not participating, journalists from an ICC Associate Member country are normally eligible for accreditation.”

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Arifur Rahman Babu, president of the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA), expressed surprise at the blanket rejection and demanded clarification, stating, “There is no reason why all applications were rejected. I strongly condemn and protest this decision.”

Arifur said he would consult with two other bodies — the Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA) and the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Community (BSJC), to determine next steps.

“It appears the ICC is unhappy that Bangladesh are not participating and has shut the door on Bangladeshi sports journalists. This goes beyond courtesy and professionalism. I think this episode exposed a dark side of the ICC,” he said.

“I will speak with the other two sports journalists’ organisations to explore possible actions. A strong protest letter should be sent to the ICC through the Ministry of Information and the BCB, asking for an explanation. Since Sri Lanka is a co-host, they could have accommodated us there,” he added.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) earlier approached the ICC to shift Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka after the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders announced releasing Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their squad, according to the report.

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The BCB and ICC then held negotiations, but a settlement could not be reached. The ICC maintained that the tournament schedule would remain unchanged and later replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in Group C of the 20-team tournament on January 24, citing the absence of any “credible or verifiable” security threat, the report said.