Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) media committee chairman Amjad Hossain on Monday dismissed media reports claiming that the International Cricket Council (ICC) had set a January 21 deadline to decide Bangladesh’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Addressing a the media in Dhaka, Amjad said that no such timeline was communicated during the recent meeting between BCB officials and an ICC delegation.

“Last Saturday on January 17, an ICC representative came and our cricket board representatives held a meeting with him. There, in regards to World Cup participation, there was issue with the venue and we informed them about our reluctance to play in that venue. We requested for alternate venue and we held detailed discussions with the representatives. They told us that they will inform the ICC about the issues and will let us know about the decision later on,” Amzad said.

“In regards to these talks, they haven’t mentioned a specific date or when they will let us know. They just told us that they will let us know when the next discussion will take place. Thank you,” he added.

Amjad then left without taking any questions. He had come to brief the media on developments related to Bangladesh’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Media reports on Sunday had claimed that the ICC gave the BCB a January 21 deadline during the ICC-BCB meeting in Dhaka last Saturday to convey Bangladesh’s final decision on playing the tournament in India.

The ICC delegation that visited Dhaka on January 17 included Gaurav Saxena, General Manager, Events and Corporate Communications, and Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager of the Integrity Unit. According to an earlier BCB press release, Saxena was unable to attend the meeting in person due to a delay in receiving his visa and therefore joined the discussions virtually, while Ephgrave was present physically.

The BCB had also stated in that press release that it discussed the possibility of swapping Bangladesh with Ireland in Group B. Under that proposal, Ireland would have played their matches in India instead of Sri Lanka, where they are currently scheduled, while Bangladesh would have played all their matches in Sri Lanka.

However, media reports later that day suggested that the ICC had informed Cricket Ireland that Ireland’s group would not be changed.

“The BCB and the ICC have agreed to continue engaging in constructive dialogue on this matter,” the BCB press release on Saturday had further read.