BCB relieved as no penalty is imposed after World Cup boycott

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials expressed relief on Tuesday after the International Cricket Council (ICC) imposed no penalty for boycotting the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup.

The ICC announced on February 9 that there would be no financial, sporting, or administrative penalty on the BCB related to the boycott. Bangladesh had refused to play in India and was replaced in the tournament by Scotland.

Sanjog Gupta, Chief Executive of the ICC, stated, "Bangladesh remains a priority cricket ecosystem deserving of long-term investment in its development, competitiveness and global integration, and is not defined by short-term disruptions."

The ICC noted that Bangladesh's absence from the tournament would not have any long-term effect on cricket in the country, which has over 200 million fans.

As part of an agreement, Bangladesh will host an ICC event prior to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2031, which is set to be co-hosted by India and Bangladesh. This is subject to standard ICC hosting processes and requirements.

BCB vice-president Faruque Ahmed said, "I think we are relieved [as no financial penalty was sanctioned] considering there were lots of things floating in the air after we refused to travel to India to take part in the World Cup."

He added, "There were several sanctions and penalties that could have come our way, and those have been stopped. Additionally, since we couldn't play in the World Cup, there is a possibility of financial loss. They [We] might not recover that directly in a financial sense, but perhaps we can host some events here – for example, the Women's World Cup."

"We are hosting the Women's Under-19 World Cup next year. In '31, we are jointly hosting the 50-over World Cup with India; we are looking at how we can get more matches there," he said.

Another BCB vice-president, Shakhawat Hossain, echoed the sentiment, stating, "Not just penalties, there could have been other troubles too but now lots of decisions have been taken following the meeting in Lahore which implies that our relation with the governing body of cricket is improving."