Ireland rules out venue change amid BCB group-swap reports

Cricket Ireland (CI) has categorically stated that the International Cricket Council will not move their T20 World Cup games out of Sri Lanka. The CI assertion comes in the wake of reports from Bangladesh that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has asked the ICC to swap their groups with Ireland’s.

“We’ve received definitive assurances that we won’t move from the original schedule. We’re definitely playing the Group Stage in Sri Lanka,” an official from CI told Cricbuzz in a statement.

Ireland are placed in Group C of the T20 World Cup alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe and Oman. Bangladesh, who are refusing to travel to India, are placed in Group B alongside West Indies, England, Nepal and Italy with their group games scheduled in Kolkata and Mumbai.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) floated the idea of a group swap with Ireland, who play all their games in Sri Lanka, in their meeting with the ICC on Saturday in Dhaka. “Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” the BCB said.

However, BCB’s suggestion does not seem to have cut any ice with the ICC as well as Ireland.

The ICC delegation was represented by Gaurav Saxena, General Manager, Events and Corporate Communications, and Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager, Integrity Unit. Saxena was unable to attend the meeting in person as his visa was received later than anticipated and therefore joined the discussions virtually. Ephgrave attended the meeting in person.

From the BCB’s side president Md Aminul Islam, vice-presidents Md Shakawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, Director and Chairman of the Cricket Operations Committee Nazmul Abedeen and CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.

The BCB said the parties have agreed to continue engaging in constructive dialogue on this matter. The T20 World will be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.