Ireland have rejected a proposal to swap groups with Bangladesh at the upcoming T20 World Cup, after receiving firm assurances from the International Cricket Council (ICC) that their original group and match schedule will remain unchanged.
According to Cricbuzz, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had requested a group swap with Ireland, a move that would have allowed Bangladesh to play all their group-stage matches in Sri Lanka instead of India, citing safety and security concerns.
However, Cricket Ireland said it had been given definitive guarantees by the ICC that it would not be moved from Group B, where all of its matches are scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka.
“We’ve received definitive assurances from the ICC that we won’t move from the original schedule,” Cricket Ireland said in a statement.
If approved, the proposal would have significantly altered the balance of the tournament, potentially making Sri Lanka’s group one of the toughest, with Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. The move has reportedly faced resistance from Sri Lanka and several other participating nations.
The ICC has not issued any public statement on the matter, and any late reshuffle of groups would be highly unusual at this stage of tournament planning. (Newswire)