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Cricket Players‘We have no one’: Bangladesh players ‘helpless’ after Sports Adviser blames them, BCB for T20 World Cup ouster
Bangladesh players were left with nowhere to go after the blame for the T20 World Cup no-show was pinned on them and the BCB.
Even as the three-way fracas between the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the Pakistan Cricket Board, and the ICC has been resolved, Bangladesh cricket remains in turmoil after its Sports Minister reneged on his word about their T20 World Cup exclusion. Bangladesh were ejected from the T20 World Cup 2026 by the ICC, after they were adamant that travelling to India wasn’t an option. All this while, it was believed that the final decision was taken by the government of Bangladesh, until on Tuesday, Asif Nazrul backtracked from his previous comments and stated that the BCB and players were the ones expressing reluctance to travel.
“The decision was made by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the cricketers. They themselves made sacrifices for the safety of the country’s cricket, for the safety of the people of the country. The role they played in upholding Bangladesh’s dignity will always be held as exemplary,” he said.
This contradicts his previous comments, made on January 22, which said, “I am making it clear to everyone: the decision not to play the World Cup in India, considering security concerns, is the government’s.”
Cricketers miffed
Nazrul’s striking U-turn has left Bangladesh cricketers upset, and rightly so. For all we know, the cricketers were willing to take the flight to India, as they understood the importance of the World Cup and the repercussions of not participating. The ICC is where they get a major chunk of their revenue, and in fact, several reports claimed that the government was not even willing to listen to the cricketers’ point of view during the meeting. Which makes Nazrul’s decision to pin the blame on the board and players all the more shocking.
“That was funny,” a player said, under conditions of anonymity, told The Daily Star. Another player said, “You heard what he said. What can we say? We have no one. We are helpless. We don’t know what to say since we had no hand in this [World Cup exclusion]. Many things don’t need to be verbalised to be understood. We didn’t get any help from any side.”
Nazrul clarifies
As expected, Nazrul received backlash for his about-turn, forcing him to clarify his stance. “Since the beginning of January, I have clearly stated in various remarks that the decision not to play in the World Cup in India was the government’s, based on security risks. I fully stand by that statement. Despite financial losses, the deprivation of playing, and the fear of further penalties, they [BCB and players] complied. In this sense, the primary credit for the decision to forego the World Cup, in the interest of the safety of the people and the nation’s dignity, belongs to them. I acknowledge that during the press conference, I failed to explain this properly due to an unprepared response. I reiterate firmly: the decision not to participate in the World Cup was made by the government,” he wrote on social media.
Nazrul’s statement created a stir at the BCB office as well, with some officials taking exception.
“He [Nazrul] had said something different before and is saying something else now. He himself had declared previously that the team will not go,” a BCB director was quoted as saying. “It was never the BCB’s or the players’ decision to make, so, there is no scope of shifting the responsibility.”
