In this context, Youth and Sports Ministry adviser Asif Nazrul is scheduled to hold a meeting with national team players on Thursday afternoon.
Ahead of the meeting, World Cup squad member Mahedi Hasan said that cricketers should abide by the decisions taken by the government and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Amid this uncertainty, Asif Nazrul will sit down with the World Cup squad members at 3:00 pm. Sheikh Mehedi, captain of Chattogram Royals, will also attend the meeting.
Earlier in the day, the off-spinning all-rounder trained with his team at the Mirpur National Cricket Academy ground. Speaking to the media after practice, Mehedi shared his thoughts on the situation.
“As a cricketer, who wouldn’t want to play a World Cup? Everyone wants to. But this is entirely a board decision. The government also has its say. They are like our guardians. Whatever they decide, I think as cricketers we should follow that,” Mehedi said.
However, he could not clarify what might come out of the meeting with the sports adviser. “There haven’t been any discussions yet. All the players in the World Cup squad were personally texted and asked to attend the meeting. What exactly comes out of it, we’ll only understand once we’re there,” he added.
Earlier this month, citing security concerns, the BCB informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) of its refusal to send the team to India for the World Cup. However, the ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request. Following a board meeting on Wednesday, the ICC stated that Bangladesh must play all their matches in India. BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul has since sought 24 hours to communicate the board’s final decision.
