TheBangladeshgovernmentmade a shocking U-turn on theT20 World Cup 2026stance, and said the players and thecricket board (BCB), not the government, boycotted the T20 World Cup matches in India. The remarks were made bythe Bangladesh government's sports advisor, Asif Nazrul. After India released Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League, the BCB reacted sharply and demanded a shift in T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing security issues.
Despite ICC's assurance, the BCB stood firm on their stance, and was replaced by Scotland. Surprisingly, it was Nazrul, who previously said that the government had not allowed the team to play the matches in India.
“We are hopeful that ICC will give us the opportunity to play in Sri Lanka. It is our government that has decided not to go to India. "Our concerns are genuine, but the ICC has not acknowledged them,” Asif Nazrul had said on 22 January after a meeting with the Bangladesh cricketers in Dhaka.
Also Read: Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2026 Exit: Complete Timeline Of What Went Wrong Between ICC And BCB
It did not take Nazrul to change his statement and pin the blame on the Bangladesh players and the BCB. When asked if they regret missing the T20 World Cup, he said," There is no question of regret (not playing the World Cup). This decision was taken by the BCB and the players as they made sacrifices for the safety of the country’s cricket, the safety of the people, and to protect national dignity,” Asif told reporters, according to Cricbuzz.
The Bangladesh players are yet to react to Asif's shocking U-turn, but one of the players had earlie called his meeting undemocratic. He said the decision to boycott was made earlier, and the players were only called in the meeting to be made aware of the decision.
“The meeting was called not to give our consent as it was made out to be initially. Rather, we were called so that we are aware of the development in the ongoing crisis. They made up their mind and decided what they will do before coming into the meeting, and it’s not like any decision was taken taking our views into consideration,” a cricketer, who attended the meeting, told Cricbuzz.
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Faham Uddin is a seasoned sports journalist currently working as a Special Correspondent on the sports desk. With over eight years of diverse experien...View More
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