Intro: Withdrawal triggers review of accreditation norms amid revised schedules, quotas concerns
New Delhi
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reworking the media accreditation process for Bangladeshi journalists seeking to cover the T20 World Cup in India following Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the tournament, citing security concerns.
The move comes amid complaints from several Bangladesh-based journalists that their accreditation requests had been rejected by the ICC. Sources indicated that the governing body is reassessing applications due to a changed competitive landscape and altered schedules after Bangladesh opted out.
“There is a reworking of the process since there is a change in the number of requests and the schedules. The accreditation lists are being worked out accordingly,” ICC sources told.
Around 80 to 90 Bangladeshi journalists had applied for accreditation to cover the global event. However, sources clarified that even when a national team participates in an ICC tournament, not all media applications from that country can be accommodated.
“If you go by country quota, you can’t exceed the number beyond 40. The ICC goes by the recommendations of the home board and accordingly takes a call on applications,” the sources added.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) media committee chairman Amjad Hossain said the issue has been taken up with the ICC. “The decision came only yesterday and we have sought to know the details. An explanation has been requested. This is an internal and confidential matter, but to summarise, we wanted to know why this was done,” Hossain told reporters in Dhaka.
It is learnt that Bangladeshi journalists will now have to submit fresh applications, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis under the revised process. The ICC has not yet provided a definitive timeline for completing the reassessment.
A senior Bangladeshi journalist expressed surprise at the development. “I have covered eight to nine ICC World Cups. This is the first time my application was rejected. We are awaiting clarity from the BCB before reapplying,” he said.
According to the ICC’s own assessment, the Bangladesh cricket team did not face a specific security threat in India. However, the BCB decided against travelling, prompting the ICC to replace Bangladesh with Scotland for the tournament, which begins on February 7.