'Just because we're Bangladeshis': Journalists 'shocked, disturbed' after ICC rejects T20 World Cup applications
The Hindustan Times spoke to a few journalists from Bangladesh after their T20 World Cup applications were turned down by the ICC.
Aapon Tariq, Sports Editor, Barta24.com, has been covering cricket for 27 years. The 1999 World Cup in England was his first assignment as a journalist, where Bangladesh, ever-so-famously, registered their first monumental win in international cricket by beating Pakistan.
He has worked for a series of leading daily newspapers and news outlets in Bangladesh, including Bhorer Kagoj, Daily Amar Desh, bdnews24, Dainik Sokaler Khabar, DhakaPost.com, and is currently employed with the country's popular online news portal.
Yet, as he prepared to embark on another World Cup assignment in India, Tariq was in for a rude shock when he learned that his media accreditation had been rejected. He had submitted his application on 25 December, hoping to add another milestone to his CV, only for an email from the ICC to dash those hopes.
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"On 26 January, I learned through an email that my accreditation application had been rejected. I had first seen posts from fellow journalists on social media saying that all accreditations had been cancelled. When I checked my email, I realised I was among those affected. The auto-generated message confirmed that my application had been cancelled," he tells The Hindustan Times.
Tariq is among more than 100 journalists whose requests for access to the T20 World Cup have been denied by the ICC. The decision follows Bangladesh's controversial exit from the tournament. While this marks the first time a major team has been shown the door at a global ICC event, it is the country's journalists who have borne the brunt of the fallout, triggering a wave of hurt and disappointment within the media community.
Ordinarily, a team's absence might reduce the need for its journalists to cover the event, but that logic appears to have little bearing on how the ICC has traditionally operated.
"Everyone is disappointed. Bangladesh has been playing in World Cups since 1999, and our senior journalists have been covering ICC events from even before that. Cricket is hugely popular in this country, with newspapers and television channels devoting a large chunk of their coverage to the game. In fact, cricket journalism here can even bring celebrity status and make you a public figure," adds Tariq.
"Yesterday, a colleague of mine who has covered 12 ICC events told me this was the first time in his career that his World Cup accreditation application had been rejected. He felt the ICC had effectively boycotted Bangladeshi journalists because Bangladesh boycotted the World Cup. Such situations are highly unusual. Even when Bangladesh did not participate in past World Cups, Bangladeshi journalists were still able to cover the tournament. That is why this entire episode has left sports journalists in the country both surprised and upset."
No explanation given by the ICC
What's more disheartening is the ICC's lack of communication, even with reporters with vast experience. Over the course of his journalism career, Tariq has covered numerous bilateral cricket series, including Bangladesh's 2019 tour of India, and major ICC events such as the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia.
"Many have also asked the ICC media department for the reason in return mail. But there has been no response. When contacted, the ICC media department did not respond. Many people want to cover the World Cup in Sri Lanka even though they cannot go to India."
Rana Abbas, Sports Editor, Ajker Patrika, and a veteran of five World Cups and four Asia Cups, has also been affected. He covered the 2023 World Cup, held in India. While the Bangladesh Cricket Board's media committee chairman, Amzad Hossain, has estimated that around 150 journalists were denied accreditation, the actual number could be significantly higher.
"At the 2023 World Cup in India, around 80 Bangladeshi journalists covered the tournament, to the best of my recollection. This time, the number should have been even higher, especially since most of Bangladesh's matches were scheduled in Kolkata, close to the border. However, as far as I know, the majority of Bangladeshi journalists did not receive accreditation approval. Two or three photographers were granted accreditation about a week ago, but I am not sure whether those approvals have since been cancelled," he tells HT.
"Most Bangladeshi journalists are shocked and disturbed by the rejections, as this is the first time they have experienced such a situation. In fact, if I am not mistaken, this may be the first instance in the history of ICC events where journalists from a specific country have been denied accreditation by an international sports body. Bangladeshi journalists believed that even if Bangladesh did not participate, they would still be able to cover the tournament in the interest of the game and from a professional standpoint."
Nazmus Shakib, Sports In-Charge (Digital) at Kalbela, a leading Bangladeshi daily, and a 12-year veteran of the profession, is unwilling to let the matter be brushed under the carpet. He strongly believes that he, along with many others, has been turned down solely because of where they are from.
'Just because we are Bangladeshis'
"Think about it, Bangladesh didn't play in the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, but our journalists still went and covered the event. Same story with the FIFA World Cup. Bangladesh isn't in the tournament, but Bangladeshi reporters go, they do their job, they bring the stories home. So why single us out this time? Even when Bangladesh isn't playing, why treat Bangladeshi journalists like this? That's the question I really want answered," he tells HT.
"Honestly, we think it's just because we're Bangladeshi. It didn't just happen to me, it affected a lot of us. You can imagine, we didn't exactly take it well."
One of the key criteria for ICC accreditation is that a journalist should have covered a previous ICC tournament. While this was mandatory until the 2019 World Cup, it is no longer a deal-breaker. With the 50-over World Cup scheduled for next year and the Champions Trophy in 2029, Tariq and Rana remain confident that this episode will not affect their future media accreditations.
"Only time will tell the answer to this question. But I personally don't see much possibility. But if I say so, it will be a bad example. Journalists cannot lose the right to cover the event. Look, the mass rejection of everyone's application is also striking. What was the problem in allowing Bangladeshi journalists to cover the event in co-host Sri Lanka?" says Tariq.
"I don't think it does harm my chances for covering other World Cups in future. It shouldn't," added Rana.
Shakib, however, has a different point of view altogether. "Without a doubt. This rejection isn't something we'll just brush off. We're demanding a fair explanation."
