England's cricket authorities are poised to learn by the end of this week whether a crucial Twenty20 World Cup group match will be moved to a new venue. The fixture in question is England's penultimate group game against Bangladesh, currently scheduled for February 14 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Political Tensions Spark Venue Uncertainty
The potential relocation stems from a formal request made by the Bangladesh Cricket Board to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The request, submitted on Sunday, asks for all of Bangladesh's matches to be moved away from India. This move comes amidst a notable deterioration in diplomatic relations between the two neighbouring Asian nations.
The situation echoes the pre-existing arrangement for Pakistan, whose entire tournament schedule was guaranteed to be held in Sri Lanka from the outset due to longstanding political tensions with India. The trigger for Bangladesh's action appears to be linked to a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The BCCI instructed the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise to remove Bangladeshi pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their playing group for the 2026 season. Rahman had been signed for a significant £900,000 at last month's auction.
ICC Holds Firm on Schedule
Despite the request, the ICC is strongly inclined to keep the existing tournament schedule intact. With less than a month remaining before the opening fixtures, the global governing body has been in intensive discussions with Bangladeshi officials over the past two days. The prevailing expectation is that the ICC will formally ask Bangladesh to proceed with their matches as originally planned.
An ECB spokesperson confirmed that while the ICC is not commenting publicly, English cricket chiefs hope to receive an update by the weekend. Captain Harry Brook and his team are preparing for the tournament, which represents England's defence of the T20 title they won in 2022.
Logistical Headache for Tournament Organisers
Relocating the Valentine's Day clash would present a significant logistical challenge for tournament organisers. The complexity is heightened by England's follow-up fixture. The team is due to remain in Kolkata to play Italy just two days later, on February 16, before potentially travelling to Sri Lanka for the tournament's second stage should they qualify from their group.
The coming days will be critical in determining whether cricket or geopolitics dictates the location of this high-stakes World Cup encounter.
