Bangladesh exposed badly as ‘India unsafe for T20 World Cup’ lie collapses with Delhi trip approval

The Indo-Bangladesh issue had taken a huge toll on the BCB as the cricketers, acting on the government's advice, had denied travelling to India for the ICC T20 World Cup and were eventually thrown out by the ICC. However, the government has been partial to clearing other athletes for the same.

The Indo-Bangladesh issue erupted with the BCCI instructing the Kolkata Knight Riders to release their newly bought Bangladeshi cricketer, Mustafizur Rahman. The BCCI could not explain their standpoint to the BCB since the snub was entirely due to diplomatic and political issues.

The BCB, infuriated by the insult on the global front, had claimed that the ICC shifted their matches over to Sri Lanka. However, even the ICC cited logistical challenges and denied them the privilege, as a result of which the Bangladesh government went on to boycott the multi-team tournament.

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Bangladesh government deploys shooters to India for the Asian Championship

Days after the Bangladesh government disagreed on sending their Cricket team for the ICC T20 World Cup to India, citing security concerns, they have issued a clearance to their shooters to travel to India for an upcoming event.

The government gave a go-ahead to a shooting team comprising two shooters and their coaches, and the staff involved, to arrive in New Delhi on the 31st of January and participate in the Asian Shooting Championship at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.

Citing several questions posed on the government's integrity after this clearance, Youth and Sports Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam said, “Only a shooter and a coach are travelling. The venue is fully secured, and general spectator involvement is very limited. We have also been assured by the hosts that there is no security threat.”

'Cricket and Shooting are separate matters,' a Bangladesh bureaucrat suggested

After the clearance, Pawan Singh, the secretary-general of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), claimed that they never had any issues from their end. Rather, he also cited that they had sought clearances from all the concerned ministries, like the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Sports Ministry, which is essential when athletes from other nations travel with weapons.

Notably, the same Bangladesh government had repeatedly denied the ICC and the BCCI when they had assured them of security in the nation, but they have been convinced by the authorities who are organising the continental championship.

“Shooting is an indoor sport with limited spectators, unlike cricket, which is played in large venues before large crowds, so there is minimal security concern. Second, we want to promote friendship through sports,” the Bangladesh National Sports Council Director Mohammad Aminul Ahsan said, as quoted by Daily Star.

Bangladesh replaced by Scotland for the T20 World Cup

Bangladesh will be represented by Olympian shooter Robiul Islam and Shaira Arefin, alongside the 327 other shooters from various parts of the world. The event would conclude on the 14th of February.

The T20 World Cup, on the other hand, starts on the 7th of February, and the ICC has taken the monumental step to replace a team with the highest-ranked unqualified team. Hence, Scotland, the highest-ranked unqualified team, has replaced Bangladesh.

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