"Indian Agent": Bangladesh Icon Tamim Iqbal Insulted By Board Member Amid T20 World Cup Row

Tension continues to brew within the Bangladesh cricket community as former international cricketer Tamim Iqbal has received serious criticism from a member of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Tamim had earlier raised concern over the BCB's decision to push for the nation's T20 World Cup 2026 games to be held outside India. M. Najmul Islam, a prominent member of the BCB Board of Directors, has now lashed out at Tamim's comments, going to the extent of labellng him as a "proven Indian agent".

Political turmoil between India and Bangladesh has carried over into the world of cricket, culminating in Bangladesh recently writing a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have its T20 World Cup 2026 matches scheduled at a neutral venue, and not in India.

On Thursday, Tamim Iqbal had questioned the long-term impact of the BCB's demands. Following this, M. Najmul Islam hit out at the former cricketer in a social media post, as reported by Dhaka-based outlet Barta Bazar.

"Eibar aaro ekjon porikkhito Bharatiya dalaal er aatyoprokash Banglar jonogon duchokh bhore dekhlo (This time, Bangladesh has witnessed the self-expression of a proven Indian agent)," wrote Najmul Islam in a Facebook post.

This is what Tamim had said in light of Bangladesh's recent request, to not play its T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India:

"Since I am not involved (with the BCB), like any other regular person I am finding things out through the media. But I am sure those dealing with these matters have a lot more information. So in that regard, I should not suddenly be making comments. What I am saying, however, is that Bangladesh cricket's interest, future and everything else must be considered before making such a decision. There is nothing better than if something can be resolved through dialogue.

"What I feel, and I think I would have done the same if I were there, is that since this is a sensitive issue, before making public comments, we would discuss the matter ourselves (within the board). Because when you make a public comment, right or wrong, it becomes difficult to step back from that position. Bangladesh cricket's future comes before everything else, and 90 to 95 percent of the finances come from the ICC, so decisions have to be made based on what will help Bangladesh cricket," he added.

In a move that highlighted the intersection of sports and geopolitics, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) initially formally requested Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 roster.

Topics mentioned in this article

Bangladesh Cricket Team Bangladesh Cricket Board BCCI International Cricket Council Tamim Iqbal Cricket India Cricket Team T20 World Cup 2026