The fight between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Bangladesh has become even bigger after more than 100 journalists from Bangladesh were stopped from covering the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
ICC-Bangladesh tension turns worse before T20 World Cup 2026
This shocking decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has left the Bangladeshi media angry and shocked, as such a situation has never happened before. It was the result of Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the T20 World Cup 2026 due to security concerns in India.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wanted their matches to move out of India, as they felt their players, fans, and support staff would not be safe in the country due to ongoing political tension between the two countries. However, the ICC denied the BCB’s request, as they found no threat in repeated investigations by the different teams.
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Yet, Bangladesh refused to change its decision, resulting in Scotland being brought in as their replacement for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, starting on February 7. Now the impact has reached the media. Bangladeshi journalists were not given approval to cover the global event.
Bangladesh journalists blocked after government remarks on India
As reported by NDTV, an ICC official confirmed that over 100 Bangladeshi journalists were not given visas and permission to cover the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in the wake of repeated comments made by the Bangladesh government against India.
The Bangladesh government has repeatedly called India ‘unsafe’ for travel amid the current political turmoil. An ICC official shared on the condition of anonymity, “They have not been given visas or accreditation because the government kept saying it is unsafe to come to India.”
This decision has caused outrage across Bangladesh’s sports media. For many years, Bangladeshi reporters have covered ICC events across the world, including matches in India. Now, a complete block of all correspondents is being seen as unfair and deeply damaging.
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Bangladeshi Media Angry after ICC’s “extremely sad” move
There is also concern that this could affect coverage of matches scheduled in Sri Lanka. Now, Bangladeshi journalists have approached major press bodies, including the Bangladesh Sports Press Association and the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Community, to decide their next move.
Rana Abbas, the Sports Editor of Aajker Patrika, was quoted as saying by NDTV, “Such an incident has never happened in Bangladesh before. Bangladeshi journalists have covered ICC events since before the country’s first World Cup appearance in 1999, including high-profile matches like India vs. Pakistan, even when played in India. Never before have all correspondents been rejected in this manner. In the history of ICC events, this is unprecedented and deeply unfortunate.”
Rana further said, “I would say this is extremely sad. In global sport, even journalists from non-participating countries are usually accommodated—FIFA is a clear example. This issue risks setting a damaging precedent and could also affect coverage of matches in Sri Lanka. For Bangladeshi journalists, facing such a blanket rejection for the first time is deeply disappointing.”
