No Apology, Bangladesh Official Breaks Silence On Calling Tamim 'Indian Agent' Amid T20 World Cup Venue Row

Controversy erupted within the Bangladesh cricket community when M. Najmul Islam, a prominent member of the BCB Board of Directors, called former Bangladesh cricket team captain Tamim Iqbal an "Indian agent" in a social media post. The comment came amid rising political tensions between the two countries, resulting in the BCB requesting the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka. Tamim questioned the long-term financial implications of such a request but was heavily criticised by the BCB official. While he faced significant backlash for his comments, M. Najmul Islam remained steadfast in his stance and doubled down on his remarks.

"It was a private post. I do not think it went viral. It was the screenshot of my post that was made viral by people, and I do not know what people ended up gaining from it," he told Sports24.

"I just expressed my personal views. I think in a situation like this, we are thinking about money and not the country. I do not have anything against Tamim. I would have said this about anyone else. Tamim's comments were in line with India's propaganda, and I did not like it," he concluded.

Earlier, he took to social media to slam Tamim for his views and even wrote a controversial message:

"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)," he posted.

The post received immediate backlash from former and current cricketers, including Taskin Ahmed, Mominul Haque, and Taijul Islam. Even the Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) expressed shock at Najmul's comments.

"A comment made by BCB director M. Najmul Islam regarding former national captain Tamim Iqbal has come to the attention of the Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh. We are stunned, shocked, and outraged by it.

"Such a remark by a board official about the most successful opener in Bangladesh's history, who represented the country for 16 years, is utterly condemnable.

"Not only because it concerns a player like Tamim, but such comments about any cricketer in the country are unacceptable and insulting to the entire cricketing community," the players' body said in a statement.

(With PTI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Bangladesh Cricket Team Tamim Iqbal T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket