DHAKA: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has blamed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for its under-19 team’s early exit from the U19 World Cup, citing unfair scheduling and logistical challenges as key reasons.
According to Bangladeshi media, the BCB revealed that the team had to travel at its own expense due to the demanding schedule.
Habib Al-Bashar, BCB’s Game Development Coordinator, said the team’s performance suffered because of the way matches were scheduled.
“Our approach against England and India was misjudged, but the travel schedule affected the team the most,” Al-Bashar said. He described the schedule as “completely unfair”, explaining that the team was originally supposed to play two warm-up matches in Masango, then travel to Bulawayo. However, the ICC suddenly changed the schedule, forcing the matches to be held at two separate venues.
The BCB requested that the ICC adjust the fixtures to reduce travel burden, but the request was reportedly ignored.
Bangladeshi media reports stated that the team traveled from Masango to Bulawayo by road, a journey of several hours, for matches on January 10 and 13.
During the World Cup, domestic flights were restricted by the ICC, requiring teams to travel by bus. The Bangladesh team faced a 9-hour road journey from Harare to Bulawayo for group matches during the monsoon season.
To ease fatigue, the BCB personally arranged flights for matches against New Zealand and India, covering the expenses themselves.
Bangladesh was ultimately eliminated from the tournament following a defeat against England.
