T20 World Cup Uncertainty Affecting Players Mentally, Admits Najmul Hossain Shanto

Najmul Hossain Shanto had said the uncertainty over Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup participation in India affected players mentally.

Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has admitted that the uncertainty surrounding his team’s participation in next month’s T20 World Cup in India has taken a psychological toll on the players, even as they try to act as if “everything is ok”. His comments come amid an ongoing standoff between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC over the venue of Bangladesh’s matches.

Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign has remained under controversy after the BCB formally approached the ICC, requesting a shift in venue for the team’s matches from India due to security concerns. The issue escalated further following pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s release from the IPL on the BCCI’s instructions.

Reflecting on Bangladesh’s struggles in global tournaments, Shanto said, “First of all, if you look at our World Cup results, we’ve never really played consistently good cricket. Last year, we did play well, but there were even better opportunities, and we couldn’t capitalise on them.

“But you’ll see that something always happens before every World Cup. I can say this from my experience of three World Cups – it does have an effect,” Shanto told reporters on Friday.

Shanto On The Mental Toll On Players

The Bangladesh skipper acknowledged that players try to maintain a professional front despite the distractions. “Now, we act as if nothing affects us, that we are fully professional cricketers. You guys also understand that we are acting – it’s not easy,” he added.

Shanto stressed that the team was making a conscious effort to focus on cricket despite the off-field noise. “Of course, it would be better if these things didn’t happen, but this is partly beyond our control,” he said.

The T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on February 7, with Bangladesh set to play four matches in India — three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. However, the BCB has demanded that these fixtures be moved to Sri Lanka following Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL exit, with the Indian board citing unspecified “developments all around”.

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Reacting to the situation, Shanto said, “I don’t know the details of how it happened, or how it could have been controlled. Still, I’d say that even acting in such circumstances (is difficult).

“With the right mindset if we go to the World Cup and play anywhere, we should focus on how to do our best for the team,” he added.