After refusing media accreditation to Bangladeshi journalists for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has come under fire, raising serious concerns among Bangladeshi media outlets.
Not a single journalist from Bangladesh was authorised to cover matches in either India or Sri Lanka, the tournament’s co-hosts, according to sources in the country’s media. The decision has drawn criticism, especially after a number of journalists reported that they were notified that their accreditation requests had been denied after first receiving confirmation emails.
On January 20, a journalist informed local media that he had gotten a confirmation message from the ICC.
He then received an email confirming that his application had been rejected. Other candidates have shared similar stories, which has increased uncertainty and annoyance with the opaque process.
The ICC has historically granted credentials to journalists from associate and full-member countries, even when the national team was not competing in a specific tournament, as senior Bangladeshi journalists have noted. As a result, the general denial of applications from Bangladesh has been perceived as a deviation from standard procedure.
Bangladeshi associations of sports writers have voiced their dissatisfaction and said they will soon make an announcement about their next move. They added gasoline to the fire by pointing out that the ICC has not offered an official explanation for the widespread rejection.
Between 130 and 150 Bangladeshi journalists had requested for accreditation, according to Amzad Hossain, chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board Media Committee, who confirmed the volume of applications. To the best of his knowledge, the ICC has turned down every application from Bangladeshi media professionals in advance of the twenty-team competition, he continued.
The ICC has not yet released a formal statement on the subject. However, according to reports, the media department of the body has asked a representative media organisation in Bangladesh for a list of journalists who would like to cover the competition.
According to the same sources, accreditation for Bangladeshi journalists is anticipated to resume, with approvals probably going to be given for games that are slated to take place in Sri Lanka rather than India. The problem still clouds the tournament’s media access rules until formal clarification is obtained.
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