Bangladesh Players Reveal They Had No Role in T20 World Cup Exit

Bangladesh players revealed they had no role in the T20 World Cup withdrawal after the sports adviser blamed the players and the BCB for the decision.

The disagreement involving the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Pakistan Cricket Board, and ICC may have settled, but tension continues within Bangladesh cricket. The ICC removed Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup 2026 after the team declined to travel to India. For weeks, officials indicated that the Bangladesh government made the final call. On Tuesday, Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul changed his position. He stated that the BCB and the Bangladesh players decided against World Cup participation.

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His latest remark contrasts with his January 22 statement, when he said the government had taken the decision due to security concerns.

The shift has upset several cricketers. Reports from the Daily Star suggest players were not heard during key discussions. Some members of the squad now feel unfairly blamed for a call they insist they did not make.

“That was funny,” a player was quoted as saying under conditions of anonymity.

“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,” the report quoted another player.

Asif Nazrul Issues Fresh Clarification

Meanwhile, facing criticism over his earlier remarks, Asif Nazrul issued a clarification on social media. He said the government made the decision in January not to send the team to India due to security concerns. Nazrul admitted he did not explain his position clearly during the recent press conference.

However, his explanation has now triggered new reactions at the BCB office. Some board officials said the decision was never in the hands of the players or the board, and responsibility cannot be reassigned.

“He [Nazrul] had said something different before and is saying something else now. He himself had declared previously that the team will not go. It was never the BCB’s or the players’ decision to make, so, there is no scope of shifting the responsibility,” a BCB official was quoted as saying in the report.

The ICC recently confirmed no sanctions against the BCB and offered Bangladesh hosting rights in the 2028–31 cycle.