BCB to go to the International Court of Justice

Although the BCB has appealed against the ICC’s decision to change the venue of Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup, the DRC has said that it does not have this jurisdiction.

BCB to go to the International Court of Justice

The ICC has already asked Scotland to be ready. The board, led by BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul, chose this path after being practically cornered. The DRC head is England’s Michael Balfe.

A BCB source told Indian news agency PTI, “Yes, the BCB has approached the DRC. They want to use all avenues. If the DRC rules against it, then the only avenue will be the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.”

Bangladesh’s interim government and sports advisor Asif Nazrul had earlier announced that the team would not tour India for “security reasons”. This stance comes after senior pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad on the orders of the BCCI.

Looking at the ICC constitution and the terms of reference of the DRC, it is clear that this committee does not have the power to hear appeals against the decision of the ICC Board of Directors.

The ICC Board voted 14-2 in favor of holding Bangladesh’s match in India. The independent security assessment said the threat level was ‘low to medium’. Even then, Asif Nazrul said that this decision was not the BCB’s, but the government’s.

Clause 1.3 of the DRC’s terms of reference states, ‘This committee will not hear appeals against the decisions of the ICC or any body formed under the ICC.’

A source in the ICC Board said, ‘Bangladesh can go to the DRC. But according to the rules, there is no opportunity to hear this case. Because it is against the board’s decision.’

It is learned that ICC Chairman Jay Shah, who is in Namibia for the U-19 World Cup, is now in Dubai. An official announcement about Bangladesh’s replacement team may be made by Saturday.

A source said, ‘ICC Board members are very angry with Aminul Islam Bulbul. There is a question about why the press conference was held without informing the ICC. Asif Nazrul is absolutely unacceptable to the ICC. But Bulbul should have informed the board first.’

The DRC works under British law. In 2018, they rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board’s claim for compensation of $70 million. At that time, the DRC ruled that the document between the two countries was only a ‘letter of intent’, not a binding contract.

The DRC basically sees whether the ICC Board has made a decision in accordance with the rules. It is not an appeal court.

In addition to Michael Beloff, this committee includes Mike Heron, Justice Winston Anderson, Dion van Zyl, Gary Roberts, Guo Kai, Annabel Bennett, Jean Paulson, Peter Nicholson, Vijay Malhotra and Sally Clarke.