ICC to continue talks after Aug 15 deadline

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will continue assessing the situation in Bangladesh before making a decision on the Women's T20 World Cup. The sport's governing body had initially set a deadline of 15th August to choose a host country, following unrest in the region, according to a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official.

The BCB are understood to have requested the ICC to keep assessing the situation and have been granted additional time

"There was a deadline today [from the ICC], but they are continuing with communications, hoping to resolve it as quickly as possible. The Bangladesh Army has assured that they will provide security for the World Cup, which was one of the major hurdles the tournament had to overcome," a BCB official told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity.

BCB sources relayed that the board has sought guidelines from relevant authorities on how to operate with many directors absent. They are also understood to be in talks with Bangladesh's interim government regarding the current travel restrictions from several countries.

BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury conveyed that discussions with the ICC are ongoing. "Yes, there was a date [for discussion] on 15th August [with the ICC], and they are possibly going to look into it further. We are still in communication, and it's being done in a positive way," Nizamuddin said.

Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that the ICC are considering the UAE, India, and Sri Lanka as back-up venues to host the World Cup in case they are forced to move the tournament from Bangladesh.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah told TOI yesterday that they have informed the ICC of their unwillingness to host the tournament.
"They had asked the BCCI if we could host the event, but I flatly refused," the BCCI secretary was quoted as saying.