Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh's sports adviser, said on Tuesday that it was the decision of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the players - and not of the country's government - to refuse to travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, report agencies.
"There is no question of regret [at being excluded from the World Cup]," Nazrul said on Tuesday at a media conference. "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."
This is a bit of an U-turn, since Nazrul had said on several occasions during the stalemate that led to Bangladesh missing the T20 World Cup that it was the Bangladesh government's decision to not send the team and that the BCB had only acted on the government's orders.
Nazrul had earlier pre-empted the BCB's announcement on January 4 to say that Bangladesh were unwilling to play their World Cup matches in India, which came in the wake of the BCCI's instruction to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to remove Mustafizur Rahman from IPL 2026.
He had continued to play a pivotal role in Bangladesh's discussions with the ICC and also held a meeting with Bangladesh's cricketers to inform them about the final decision on the World Cup participation. Shortly afterwards, the ICC announced that Scotland would replace Bangladesh in the tournament.
Earlier this week, the ICC announced that Bangladesh wouldn't be punished for their non-participation, while also awarding them an ICC event in 2028. It came through negotiations between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the ICC in a meeting in Lahore where BCB president Aminul Islam was present.
Nazrul hailed the negotiations that led to Bangladesh being given hosting rights for an additional tournament in 2028. "The ICC has said there will be no sanctions and that Bangladesh will be considered for hosting an international tournament," he said. "This is a brilliant achievement. I salute the Bangladesh Cricket Board."
Asif's remarks are strange, given that earlier on January 22, the interim government lawmaker had insisted that Bangladesh's decision to skip the tournament was a government call.
Asif had met the cricketers on January 22 after Litton Das revealed that the players had not been part of any discussion regarding participation in the World Cup. Following that meeting, Asif told the media that he had informed the players of the government's decision - a meeting that seemed more like a briefing, where players were apprised of the decision rather than being involved in the process.
"The purpose of the meeting was simply to explain to the players why the government took this decision and give them the context. I believe they understood. That was the purpose - nothing else," Asif told reporters on January 22.
"I think we did not get justice from ICC. Whether we will play in the World Cup or not is entirely a government decision," he added.
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