ICC denies accreditation to Bangladeshi journalists for T20 World Cup coverage
Cricket
No journalist from Bangladesh has been granted accreditation for matches scheduled in either India or Sri Lanka.
(Web Desk) - The International Cricket Council (ICC) has denied accreditation to Bangladeshi journalists for coverage of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, sparking concern and controversy within Bangladesh’s media fraternity.
According to Bangladeshi media reports, no journalist from Bangladesh has been granted accreditation for matches scheduled in either India or Sri Lanka. In several cases, journalists who had initially received confirmation emails later received notifications stating that their accreditation had been cancelled.
A Bangladeshi journalist told local media that he received an accreditation confirmation email on the 20th, followed by a rejection email shortly afterwards. Senior journalists have questioned the decision, pointing out that the ICC usually issues accreditation to journalists from associate member countries even if their national team is not participating in the tournament.
Sports journalists’ associations in Bangladesh have expressed serious concern over the issue and announced that they will soon decide on a future course of action, noting that the ICC has so far provided no official explanation for denying accreditation.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Media Committee Chairman Amzad Hossain confirmed that Bangladeshi journalists were not granted accreditation. He stated that between 130 and 150 journalists from Bangladesh had applied, and to his knowledge, all applications were rejected.
The absence of a formal clarification from the ICC has further intensified the controversy.
However, sources say the ICC media department has contacted a representative journalists’ body to obtain a list of reporters interested in covering the World Cup. According to these sources, the accreditation process for Bangladeshi journalists is likely to restart.
Sources added that Bangladeshi journalists had initially applied to cover all matches in India, and it is now expected that they will be issued accreditation for matches scheduled in Sri Lanka.
