BCB relieved as no penalty is imposed after World Cup boycott

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

Since Bangladesh decided not to take part in the global tournament, everyone in the country's cricketing landscape was skeptical over whether the ICC would sanction a penalty on them as they are expected to incur financial loss due to their absence.

However, the ICC announced on February 9 that there will be no financial, sporting or administrative penalty on the BCB in relation to boycotting the World Cup. The ICC agreed to take a lenient view of Bangladesh, despite their refusal to play in India and had to be replaced in the marquee tournament with Scotland.

"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," Sanjog Gupta, Chief Executive of the ICC, said in a statement.

The ICC said Bangladesh's non-participation in the tournament would not have any long-term effect on cricket in the country, which boasts more than 200 million fans.

As part of an understanding between the ICC and the BCB, an agreement has been reached that Bangladesh will host an ICC event prior to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2031, set to be co-hosted by India and Bangladesh. This arrangement is subject to the usual ICC hosting processes, timelines and operational requirements.

"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," BCB vice-president Faruque Ahmed told Cricbuzz on Tuesday.

"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 might not recover that directly in a financial sense, but perhaps we can host some events here - for example, the Women's World Cup," he said.

"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 vice-president of the BCB, Shakhawat Hossain, echoed the same sentiment.

"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," he said.