A two-member International Cricket Council (ICC) delegation, led by its safety and security manager Dave Musker, will visit Dhaka on Saturday in a bid to resolve the impasse over Bangladesh's participation in the T20 World Cup in India next month.
The ICC officials will hold discussions with the Bangladesh Cricket Board brass, including its president Aminul Islam, to convince them about the security situation in India.
BCB has refused to play their World Cup matches in India, citing security risks following Kolkata Knight Riders' decision to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman following an instruction from the Board of Control for Cricket in India that cited "recent developments" in the country.
The ICC team's visit is being viewed as a desperate effort to coax the BCB to play their matches in India. Besides the BCB, government representatives are also expected to participate in the discussions.
Sources told The Telegraph that if BCB remains adamant in playing their matches in Sri Lanka, the ICC could be forced to go ahead in hosting the tournament without Bangladesh. There are instances of teams forfeiting matches in previous ICC tournaments for different reasons.
The world body will again try to impress upon the BCB that such last-minute changes in fixtures and venues would lead to crippling logistical challenges. The initiative is aimed at providing assurance and highlighting top-level security to the team in India to dispel their security fears. The delegation will try to assert that any change in fixtures at this stage will also derail the plans and interests of the other 19 participating nations.
The ICC representatives' video conference with the BCB brass earlier this week had failed to break the deadlock. The talks effectively fell through after the BCB refused to climb down from their stance.
An independent security assessment by the ICC indicated no specific or heightened threat to the Bangladesh cricket team in India. The assessment shared with the BCB’s security unit pointed to 'low to moderate' risks in some venues and 'low to nil' in others.
This is considered standard categorisations around the world that do not ordinarily constitute sufficient reason to move games.
It is understood that the BCB is dwelling on a perceived threat to Mustafizur and have pointed to some recent comments made by politicians regarding the volatile situation in Bangladesh. The BCB also claimed that its own security report has highlighted a threat to its players in India.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play three of their group league matches at Eden Gardens and the remaining one in Mumbai. The ICC may also consider shifting their matches to Chennai if required.
Bangladesh government's sports advisor Asif Nazrul said in Dhaka on Friday that they are unlikely to change their stance. “Mr Aminul Islam informed me that an ICC team is likely to come to Bangladesh for discussions. There is no chance of us changing our stance. We are eager to play in the World Cup, particularly in Sri Lanka, and I strongly believe that organising this is not impossible,” Nazrul was quoted as saying.
The BCCI's decision to put on hold a planned white-ball series in Bangladesh in August, too, is learnt to have angered the BCB brass. The Indian team's visit will depend on government clearance.
It is believed that several of the Bangladesh players have expressed their willingness to play their matches in India in view of the long-term implications of a pull-out. This could serve as a silver lining in resolving the impending stalemate.
Former captain Tamim Iqbal, too, had advised the BCB not to be driven by emotion while deciding the way forward on the national team's participation in the T20 World Cup in India.
Pakistan's matches will be held in Sri Lanka in the light of a prior agreement between the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board that allows their teams to play at neutral venues.
