'Decision Taken By Players': Bangladesh Takes Stunning T20 World Cup U-Turn

Asif Nazrul, the sports advisor to the Bangladesh government, has taken a stunning U-turn on the T20 World Cup controversy. Nazrul claimed that the decision to not take part in the T20 World Cup 2026 was taken by the cricketers and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), not the government. The remarks came as a surprise because, in the past, he had made it clear that the decision to not travel to India for the group stage matches was taken by the Bangladesh government. He was part of a meeting with Bangladesh cricketers as well as BCB officials regarding the decision to not take part in the T20 World Cup citing "security concerns," but media reports claimed that the players did not have much say in the matter.

"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 the ICC. Whether we will play in the World Cup or not is entirely a government decision," he added.

However, Nazrul completely changed his stance on the issue in a recent interview.

"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 on Tuesday.

The BCB requested the ICC to shift their matches from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns, but no changes were made to the tournament schedule. Following the controversy over Pakistan's boycott of its match against India, the ICC decided not to punish Bangladesh.

"The ICC has said there will be no sanctions and that Bangladesh will be considered for hosting an international tournament. This is a brilliant achievement. I salute the Bangladesh Cricket Board."

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Bangladesh Cricket Team BCCI Pakistan Cricket Board Bangladesh Cricket Board T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket