Two International Cricket Council (ICC) officials are set to travel to Dhaka in an effort to break the impasse over Bangladesh's participation in the Twenty20 World Cup. The senior ICC representatives will hold discussions with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on the issue that has remained unresolved since Bangladesh took the extreme position demanding relocation of their matches out of India in the February 7-March 8 tournament.

On the face of it, the ICC visit appears to be a last-ditch effort by the governing body to persuade the intransigent BCB. More than that, however, it is also intended as a confidence-building initiative, aimed at ensuring Bangladesh does not feel isolated by the ICC and the wider world cricket community.

The ICC outreach comes after discussions were believed to have reached a point of no return during a video call between the parties a couple of days ago, precisely on Wednesday, when BCB president Aminul Islam expressed his displeasure, virtually derailing the talks. However, the ICC reached out to the BCB once again in an effort to find a common ground. The discussions are also expected to involve the representatives of the Muhammad Yunus government in the country.

At the centre of the imbroglio are two issues: the perceived security threat to Bangladesh players in India and the Mustafizur Rahman controversy. The ICC's security assessment is believed to have rated the threat level in India as moderate to low - a level that is neither unprecedented nor abnormal. In contrast, the perceived security risk for the players within Bangladesh itself is understood to be higher, assessed as moderate to high.

The Dubai emissaries will seek to impress upon their BCB counterparts that Bangladesh, as a cricketing nation, is important to the ICC and to the global cricket ecosystem. However, the interests and concerns of the other 19 participants are as important. As the game's governing body, the ICC has a responsibility to accommodate the requests of players, officials and fans from all 19 other competing nations.

Islam is understood to be stuck on a line in the security report suggesting a threat in the highly hypothetical scenario of a breakout of communal violence in the country. The BCB president also pointed out the perceived threat to Mustafizur Rahman, again in an imaginary scenario of heightened communal situation in the country. Comments made by leaders of the BJP and Shiv Sena were also raised during the meeting. Inevitably, an increase in threat perception would be matched by enhanced security measures by both the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Besides there are also issues of precedent and the sanctity of the schedule. The ICC and BCCI are wary that changing venues or making last-minute adjustments would set a dangerous, avoidable and unwanted precedent for future global events. Notably, for nearly three weeks after the schedule was announced on November 25, the BCB remained silent. It is now too late for alterations or adjustments.

A BCB member is understood to have repeatedly cited Mustafizur's exclusion from the IPL on security grounds, as well as the ICC security assessment report shared with the board, arguing that it was based on hypothetical scenarios and the possibility of a radical threat. The BCB also claims that its own security report mentions a threat to its players.

The ICC side, however, is said to have countered that such conjecture cannot be grounds for withdrawing from a tournament, stating that a rally in support of the Palestinian cause in Paris does not make France unsafe for a sporting event. Curiously enough, the BCB has not shared its security report with the BCCI and the ICC.

During the video call, the ICC, represented among others, by its chief of legal, chief of security and CEO. Islam was with vice-presidents Md Shakawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, director and chairman of the Cricket Operations Committee Nazmul Abedeen and Chief Executive Officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.

Meanwhile, BCB director Iftekhar Rahman confirmed to Cricbuzz on Friday that ICC representatives are scheduled to arrive on Saturday. "We are looking forward to sitting down with them and hopefully we can resolve the issue," Iftekhar told the website. The ICC delegation is expected to arrive late on Saturday, with the meeting likely to take place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play three out of their four group stage fixtures in Kolkata on February 7, 9 and 14 against West Indies, Italy and England before travelling to Mumbai for their final clash against Nepal.