The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected Bangladesh’s demand to shift their matches at next month’s T20 World Cup outside India, the governing body said on Wednesday. Bangladesh have refused to play their matches in India, citing safety concerns following soured political relations between the neighbours, and demanded to play them in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament, instead. “The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India,” the ICC said in a statement after a board meeting. “The ICC board noted that it was not feasible to make changes so close to the tournament and that altering the schedule under the circumstances, in the absence of any credible security threat, could set a precedent that would jeopardise the sanctity of future ICC events…” The ICC said that the board’s management also engaged in a series of “correspondences and meetings” with the Bangladesh Cricket Board in a bid to resolve the impasse, sharing detailed information on the event security plan, including layered federal and state law-enforcement support. An ICC spokesperson said: “Over the past several weeks, the ICC has engaged with the BCB in sustained and constructive dialogue, with the clear objective of enabling Bangladesh’s participation in the tournament.” “During this period, the ICC has shared detailed inputs, including independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from the host authorities, all of which consistently concluded that there is no credible or verifiable threat to the safety or security of the Bangladesh team in India.” “The ICC remains committed to acting in good faith, upholding consistent standards, and safeguarding the collective interests of the global game.”